


The Weakness of Light

by Crystal_Prisom



Series: Alternate Universes [1]
Category: Mortal Kombat - All Media Types
Genre: Main Character OC, Major Violence, Multi, Not Seen Until Later in the Story, Tags will be added as we go on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-05-08
Packaged: 2019-03-19 05:49:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 40,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13698132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crystal_Prisom/pseuds/Crystal_Prisom
Summary: Following the events of Shinnok's attempted conquer of the realms, many things have happened. Cassie has been sent to kind and kill Shang Tsung, Sonya and Johnny attempt to stabilize the Special Forces (while also mending their relationship), while the Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu clans both remain silent. The rebuilding is slow, but improving.Then, Raiden launches a questionable attack against the forces of Outworld, and the ties between old allies and friends become shattered as the kombatants prepare to face off in yet another Mortal Kombat Tournament...





	1. Prologue

Ever since he had been appointed in his position, he was determined to keep his chosen realm safe from all harm.

And there were multiple threats. Starting with Shinnok, and in his footsteps came Shao Kahn, Onaga, Shang Tsung, and many others that he couldn't remember today. It had been in the past. With these enemies came the wars, and following these wars, came death. It had claimed the lives of many of his friends. Liu Kang, Kung Lao... he could still remember their dying faces, and with it, regret. But there was nothing he could do now. They had been turned, and he could not help them now. Now, they were only threats to his realm.

As he stood over the city that he knew the Outworld kahnum was, he could not help but feel glorious as he watched the mortals scramble over each other, conducting their usual business. Is this what it had felt like when Shao Kahn was sitting in his throne? Or how powerful Onaga and Shinnok had felt? He turned behind him. There was an army of people clothed in black-and-yellow garb. They were all armed, prepared for what came next. He turned to the army's commander. "Send out the Shirai Ryu, General," he ordered. As Scorpion ordered his clan to rush down and force Outworld to feel Earthrealm's previous pain, he smiled.

He was Raiden, sworn protector of Earthrealm. And he could not only guarantee the protection of his realm, but the purification of all others.

* * *

 

Cassie bent over at her waist, panting heavily with her hands on her knees, recovering from her ordeal. At her feet laid the old man that she had taken down. Shang Tsung, the man that Raiden had sent her after. She stood up straighter. Raiden had been so eager to push this "honor" to her, saying that it was necessary for Earthrealm's safety. And from what Johnny had told her, the sorcerer was indeed a major threat that needed to be put down. And yet...

"My parents told me about you. They told me that you were an evil sorcerer that took the shape of others. But you didn't do that once in our little fight. Who are you?" She questioned. The man looked up blearily, through half-lidded eyes. He knew that he was dying, and he knew that the child knew this as well. She had put up such of a great fight, and his age had not helped him in any way, either. So, she had thought that he was Shang Tsung.  _Raiden, what have you done?_ "My name... is.. Shujinko." And with that, he closed his eyes for the last time, leaving an afraid and confused young teenager alone. If only he could tell her what he had known.

But it was too late. The tournament was their only hope now.


	2. Sparking of Doubt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassie returns from her mission, afraid and scared. She is certain that she was responsible for killing an innocent instead of the supposed Shang Tsung. She has no idea about what is going on.
> 
> But Sonya and Johnny seem to understand.

Cassie was fucking screwed.

Her knees refused to stop shaking as she sat in the chopper, waiting for it to finally land. Her hands trembled, even after clasping them together in a tight bind. Her mind was lost in thinking about what had just happened over the course of the past day. After the fight, she had fled the temple and rushed to the waiting pilot in the aircraft. She ordered him to take off, no questions asked, as she tried to relax in the back. Cassie was confused. Why had Raiden sent her after the old man? Was the man a threat to Earthrealm? Or had he lied to her?

The aircraft eventually had to land, and when it did, Cassie had a fake smile plastered on her face. She walked down the ramp and was instantly greeted by her friends. Jacqui instinctively hugged her while Takeda nodded his greeting. On the other hand, Jin pestered her, asking questions and degrading her, but Cassie didn't care. The familiar presence of her friends reassured her and helped her rebuild her confidence. She waved her goodbyes shortly afterwards, assuring them that she would see them later, and left to look for her parents.

* * *

"Mom, Dad, Kenshi. You know that Raiden sent me on a mission to assassinate Shang Tsung. I went to the exact location that he gave me, but it wasn't Shang Tsung, Mom! It was some other guy named Shujinko, I think. He didn't have any sorcery powers whatsoever, and I killed him. I fucking killed him, Mom!" Sonya held her up her hands. "Whoa, slow down, Cassie. Just tell us what happened from the start, okay?"

_Cassie had finally reached the temple that Raiden had described in impeccable detail. She scanned the area from far away, and saw no one. She frowned in confusion, but shrugged off her doubt. She continued to go forward, and broke down the doors with little effort. She marveled at the beauty of the temple walls before remembering herself. She opened the first door she saw that led into the main central room, and saw an old man kneeling. She drew her gun from its holster and prepared to fire._

_Instantly, he grabbed a staff laying on the floor next to him and struck her, sending Cassie reeling back. She could not open fire; he was too close for that to happen. Instead, she dropped it and punched him, but was intercepted and thrown around. She slid across the floor and hit the opposite wall, and gasped in pain. She looked up to see the old man charging at her and without thinking, she drew her other pistol and shot two times._

_BANG! BANG!_

_The old man stopped in his tracks and looked at his chest. He gasped for air as he collapsed on the floor, struggling to breathe._

_Cassie had killed him._

* * *

"I don't understand, Mom. It just, wasn't him. He didn't do the things that Shang Tsung was known for. I killed an innocent man, Mom!" Sonya turned at Johnny and Kenshi, who both had grim looks on their faces. "Kenshi, send out the word. Raiden has gone rogue. Johnny, contact Ko'tal Kahn. He'll want to hear this."

After both men left, Cassie looked through blurry eyes in confusion. "What.. what's going on?" 

Sonya sighed. "I had hoped that it wouldn't come to this, but you have to know that you're fine, Cassie. Raiden set us up. You know that Johnny went to Shang Tsung's island and found the Edenian books. What he didn't share was that he was visited by the Elder Gods. They were anxious, as he described it. They warned him that an evil force would consume one of our allies, and he would turn against us. The evidence points at Raiden, right now."

Cassie shook her head. "What evil force?" Sonya shrugged. "No one knows, but I suspect that it had something to do with the cleansing of the Jinsei. While your father and I attempted to command SF, Raiden went quiet. The fact that he came out and immediately ordered you to complete a mission was suspicious enough."

Johnny ran in, bursting through the door. "Sonya, the word's been sent out, but you need to hear this."

* * *

 

 _"_ General, there is nothing I can do to express how grateful I am for your assistance." Sonya waved him off. "It's fine, Kotal. Right now, I just want to know what happened." She looked behind him and saw the extent of Raiden's wrath. 

Erron Black, the mercenary, had bandages wrapped around his chest and looked like he had been electrocuted (his hair sticking up showed it). He was also bleeding from his arms, which had received cuts and bruises. Reptile had his arm and leg broken viciously, and Ermac was nowhere to be seen. Ferra had sustained no injuries (she was a child), but Torr laid unconscious. He had cuts all over his body, and broken limbs as well. Ferra looked at her companion in despair. 

Ko'tal followed her gaze. He shook his head. "We had no warning. We were defenseless, and had no idea of what was to come. But it was evident that we were under attack once we heard the screaming..."

* * *

 

_"Ko'tal! The Shirai Ryu and the Thunder God are attacking the city!" Erron had shouted in panic. Ko'tal looked up in fear and surprise. Once he ordered his warriors to assist the people, he donned his armor and left to join the fight._

_It was a massacre. The citizens laid in piles, all dead. The air was heavy with the smell of burnt flesh. The hellspawn turned human, Scorpion, had beaten Reptile while Raiden kept a steady current of lightning aimed at Torr, Ferra laying on the ground looking up in fear. Ermac and Erron were both trying to stop the army, but they were being overwhelmed by the sheer force of the Shirai Ryu. Ko'tal threw off Raiden from Torr, and they fought._

_The Outworld emperor had fought desperatly, but Raiden overpowered him within minutes. He collapsed on the floor in exhaustion. Raiden smirked cruelly at his fallen foe. "You were never a true god, Kotal. Now, I will merge both Earthrealm and Outworld. Ther will be no more conflict. No more fighting." Kotal looked up. "There will be one last fight, Thunder God."_

_"Elder Gods! Hear me! Just as you allowed Earthrealm a chance against Outworld, I ask you the same! Provide me a chance to defend my realm! Let there be a Mortal Kombat Tournament!"_

_Raiden snarled. "Stop!" However, his blast of lightning was extinguished before it could connect with Ko'tal. The emperor was enveloped in a column of light. The Elder Gods had answered the call._

* * *

"But it seems my efforts were in vain. My warriors are weak, and we will be outnumbered. I have signed my death sentence." Sonya shook her head. "I know now that Raiden has gone rogue. The Special Forces will aid you in the tournament. I hope that Jax will come if Jacqui is involved. I will also contact Grandmaster Sub-Zero for help. He will not refuse."

Ko'tal shook his head. "Even with Sub-Zero's help, we are still weak. Ermac was captured by the Shirai Ryu. I believe that Raiden means to release Shao Kahn and his minions. We need more fighters."

Sonya was quiet. "I.. know someone. She's technically retired, but with the situation, I can't do anything. She lost her daughter in a previous tournament. Raiden had forced it."

Ko'tal was incredulous. "Only one person?" Sonya smirked. "The rules say that no god can enter the tounament. What about someone older than the gods themselves? How about a Titan?"

* * *

 

_Elsewhere_

Raiden growled. The emperor had foolishly called another tournament. Now, he had to wait. And in addition to this, he was considered a threat to the Special Forces!? Hanzo had told him. Now, he could not call on his old kombatants. He already had the Black and Red Dragon clans under him. At that moment, Hanzo entered the room.

"Scorpion, thank you for coming. You see, I have a problem. My fighters are limited, and I am in need of more kombatants. Do you know of anyone?"

Hanzo hesitated. "There's.. one person. She isn't human. Not by a long shot, and she's powerful. I fought her once, and almost died."

Raiden was intrigued. "Who is this person?"

_"She's my half-sister."_


	3. A New Kombatant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The opposing forces collide and meet at the same destination with the same purpose. 
> 
> Couldn't they at least warn her boss!?

"EEEVIEE!!!"

Every head in the office turned to the back of the room at a woman who was blasting music on her headphones while working, typing furiously on the computer. She was a fairly young woman, about 27 years old, and had straight milk-chocolate hair. Her skin used to be pale, but she had been spending more time in the sun that year, and had developed a nice tan. 

Probably the most striking feature about her was her eyes. They were different colors; her left eye was an icy blue while the other was a fiery hazel. She had been asked out by nearly everyone in the building, but was forced to politely decline every advance they made. She was looking for the right person, after all.

The person nearest to the woman tapped her shoulder. "Umm, the boss is calling you." The woman sighed and switched off the music.

"Well, fuck. What did I do this time?" Evangelina Seraphina Emerilla said.

* * *

 

Evie (as she liked to be called) stepped cautiously into her boss's office. "Umm, is there a problem, sir?" He waved her off. "No, no! There's just someone to see you," he replied. He then took off in a hurry, something that surprised Evie. Shaking her head, she turned around and came face-to-face with the one person she never wanted to see again.

Scorpion. 

Behind him was another figure, but Evie didn't care at that point. She snarled viciously, sounding more like an animal. Hanzo was smart to step back. "Look, Evie, I'm not here for a fight."

"Not here for a fight? Maybe you should have considered that when you go and kill your own niece, MY. DAUGHTER. You are going to be expecting a fight!" She growled. The other man in the back stepped in. "Thank you, Hanzo. You are welcome to leave." After the former specter teleported away, the man in the hat faced the woman. "Evangelina. I am Raiden, the Thunder God that is sworn to protect Earthrealm. Outworld, who has been Earthrealm's greatest threat for centuries, has emerged once again to destroy this realm. I need your help in the tournament."

Evie put her hands up. "Whoa, calm down, man! I feel like I'm being drafted in the Hunger Games or something. Back to what you were saying..."

BOOM!

Evie whipped around and saw her old friends. Sonya, Kenshi, and Johnny were at the entrance, looking like they had ran a marathon. "Evie, don't listen to him. He's the one who started this. He's trying to take over Outworld, not the other way around. Raiden's gone insane," Sonya said. Raiden stepped forward. "Sonya Blade only speaks of lies. She would give Outworld the chance to invade Earthrealm. I cannot allow this."

"Why you little..." Sonya chose that moment to leap at Raiden, tackling him out the window. Evie and Johnny stared at the scene wide-eyed, Kenshi sighing in defeat. "Here we go again," he muttered. It was fortunate that the boss's office was on the lowest level. Kenshi called on Sento and charged to help, Johnny following in his steps. Evie shook her head and rolled up her sleeves to reveal her forearms. They glittered from a far away distanve, but upon further inspection, you would notice that her arms were covered in a precious stone material that closely resembled diamond, only it was stronger than the substance, and was capable of amplifying magic abilities. 

Her forearms were not only covered, but made of this stone. At the ends of her fingertips, claws started to protrude, made of the same material. Evie groaned. And here she thought that she wouldn't have to do this again.

* * *

 

  _Sonya ran through the forest, trying to shake off her pursuers. Kano, that lying two-faced snake, had betrayed her. He had also killed her partner, and they were out for her blood, now. As much as she would have loved to blow that bastard up, she would have to wait until later, when chances of revenge would be better. But if she was going to do that, she had to survive first._

_Just as she leapt over a fallen tree, Sonya tripped on a large stick lying on the ground, hidden in the undergrowth. She cursed before getting up, intending to continue running, but the Black Dragon had already reached her and circled her, two buff men restraining her arms. Sonya struggled vainly as Kano himself walked up. He was saying things about how great he was, but Sonya tuned him out._

_There was someone hidden in the trees. Sonya couldn't identify where, but she knew that whatever it was, it was probably one of Kano's people. Her attention shifted back to the traitor when he signaled to the two men holding her arms. They pulled out guns with their free hands, and Sonya struggled more. They had loaded the guns when a whistling sound was heard and the man on her right gurgled._

_Sonya watched in slight horror as the man struggled to pull the silver luminous arrow from his throat, and eventually fell to the ground, dead. The man on her right also fell, a similar arrow stuck in his forehead. Kano paled. There was a rustling in the trees, and a figure dropped down._

_It was a young girl, probably around sixteen years old, with a bow and quiver of arrows and a sword strapped to her waist. She growled, sending chills down everyone's spines. It sounded inhumane, and like that, Kano ordered his men to retreat. Sonya looked at the girl who had saved her life, intending to thank her, but the girl was gone._

_The girl would save her life once again at a later time, three years later, and Sonya would get the chance to thank her then. At that point, the girl would be twenty-five years old._

_She would explain her history, and a sympathetic Sonya would take her under her wing._

* * *

 Evie climbed out the window, careful to avoid the glass shards and paused at the sight she saw. Luckily, they were nowhere near the highways or roads. Sonya and Johnny were fighting Raiden while Kenshi stayed away from the battle, but was blocking Raiden's blows that otherwise would have connected. Evie sighed and rushed in to help. "EVERYONE, SHUT UP!!!" she roared. 

No one listened.

Evie facepalmed, not expecting anything else. Taking matters into her own hands, she used her own telekinesis that gave out a white light to pull Sonya and Johnny away from Raiden. They protested, but Evie wasn't listening. "Listen," she hissed, "My boss is going to kill me for what you did to his window, and you're also creating a scene." She took a deep breath.  _Calm down, Evie._ She shook her head. "Look, I'm not going to help anyone." Sonya glared at her. "You can't be serious!" Raiden was equally unhappy. Evie waved her arms. "Uhh, uhh! Sonya, you know that I dug myself out of the ground and fought my way out of that life. What makes you think that I'd want to go back, huh? I'm not going. And there's nothing you can do to change that. Now get the fuck out of here." 

* * *

"Long story short, she refused," Sonya said. 

They were sitting in a conference room that belonged to the SF. Kot'al Kahn sighed. "Then it is decided. We are doomed. There is nothing we can do." Erron shook his head. "Why did you want her, anyways?" Sonya shrugged. "Where to begin? Evie is a weapons specialist. Give her anything, she can use it to kill someone." Johnny snickered. "When I first met her, she was in the news. Apparently, she killed five men at a bar with a single shot glass. Calls herself the Diamond Direwolf." Sonya smirked. "That's not all. She's a Titan, so she's immortal, but also has self-healing abilities. Of course, she had to take a break from fighting to recover, but it's helpful. She's also an elemental. Capable of manipulating almost every material. I'm also pretty sure that she has more tricks up her sleeves, but she never got to demonstrate them all. Years ago, her daughter died in the tournament. She was killed by Scorpion. When Evie heard this, she was sad about her daughter, but she was also shaken at the mention of Hanzo. I don't know why. I never got to ask. She retired that month after I sent her undercover to spy in the Black Dragon."

There was a silence. Kenshi stood up. "Grandmaster Sub-Zero is here. I will bring him, and we can discuss what to do next." The doors opened. "There will be no need, Kenshi."

Everyone looked at the newcomer. Sub-Zero walked to the table, grim look on his face. "Raiden came to me with a proposal. It was lucky that I had intercepted your message before he came. I told him that I would think about his terms, and then I left the temple. He has definitely changed." There was a timid knock at the door. "Come in!" Sonya said. A soldier walked into the room, nervous. "Well, soldier? Speak up!" He cleared his throat. "Umm, there's.. a ninja.. or something. Wearing silver. And has a huge dog." Sonya stood up, eyes brightening in happiness. "I'm going. I'll be right back!" She ran out of the room, leaving a very confused group of people. "What happened?" Sub-Zero asked. Johnny talked about what had happened in the past few hours, and then Cassie, Jacqui, Takeda, and Jin entered. They sat at the table as well, already informed of the situation. 

In the hallway, Sonya's voice could be heard conversing lightly with another's. Sonya stepped into the room. "Kot'al Kahn. Grandmaster Sub-Zero. The Diamond Direwolf has agreed to our cause." Behind her stepped forward the person. Evie was wearing her gear that she used to wear. She was wearing silver assassin's attire, nothing too revealing, with a mask following the same color scheme. Her longsword was strapped to her waist, and on the floor next to her was a small puppy. Johnny squealed in delight. "Hikari! Oh, my sweet, little, direwolf pup! Come to daddy!" Everyone shot him a WTF look, but Johnny didn't care. The barking pup jumped into his arms and attacked his face with kisses. Evie shook her head, looking at the scene. Hikari looked back at her master, Evie shaking her head in mock disappointment. "Traitor," she said. Hikari yapped in response as Evie walked around the table.

She seemed to study every person, Sonya looking on and realizing what was coming. Evie eventually took her seat. "Well, it's obvious that we all aren't prepared. I'm not talking about what happens in the tounament; I'm talking about winning our fights. We've been getting lazy. I'm out of shape myself. Haven't had to use something with violent intent for a while, you know? But it's obvious that we all need to train. I'm not calling out a few people in particular, either. Everyone. Needs to practice." Evie reclined back in her seat. Sonya nodded. "We've all been slacking off. We've all been busy rebuilding. Evie, what if you spend tonight practicing again and remembering your training? Tomorrow, you can train us. You're the best teacher here, with years of experience." Evie grimaced. "I'll try. But I've also got to make a detour to the Netherrealm. There's someone that I need to talk to." 


	4. Into Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> God knows what happens in the Nethrrealm. Evie's about to find out.

Evie sighed and flexed her arms, loosening her back muscles. She stared out into the distance, standing on the balcony of her room. She pondered over this, realizing that this would be one of the last calm moments she would ever experience in her life. "It's a nice view, isn't it?"

Evie didn't have to turn around to identify who had spoken. "Sonya," she acknowledged. "Evie," the blonde responded. The two stood side-by-side, standing in the silence that comforted them. Sonya eventually spoke. "It's a suicide mission, you know." Evie cocked her head slightly. "Well, it's a good thing that I can't be killed then, huh?" Sonya turned to look at her friend. "This is no joke, Evie. We don't know that you can't die in the Netherrealm! And there's also the possibility that they refuse your offer. What then? We can't send anyone to help you; we're as limited in numbers already." Evie squeezed the bridge of her nose. "You think that I don't know that? All I know is that if we don't receive more help, we are already dead. What's one person compared to the world, Sonya?"

The two held an intense stare-off. Then, Sonya sighed. "Look, you do whatever you want to do. I just want you to know that I don't like any of it." Evie smiled slightly. "I know."

* * *

 As soon as she stepped through the portal, Evie wished that she hadn't brought a jacket. In fact, she had no idea why she had brought one in the first place; probably because she forgot to take it off. Either way, she was being cooked in the hellish state of the realm. "Stupid, goddamned lava pits. Stupid fire. Stupid mountains. Why does the Netherrealm have mountains, anyway?" Evie kept muttering as she slowly climbed the hills to her destination.

Liu Kong's throne room was located in the center of the Netherrealm. He summoned his friends to counsel with them. Shinnok's decapitated head had been disposed of. The former champion of Mortal Kombat stood next to his empress, Kitana. While they discussed matters, a lowly messenger entered the throne room. "Emperor and Empress! There is a - URGK!" He was cut off by a walking staff hitting the back of his head. The unfortunate man fell to the ground, unconscious, and revealed Evie standing behind him. Liu Kang walked towards her. "Who are you, and why are you here?" Kitana held up a hand. "Pause, Liu Kang. This is the Diamond Direwolf, who did my realm a service in the Edenian civil war against Shao Kahn. She was the leader of a small but powerful group that struck Shao Kahn from the inside. They would have been successful had it not been for Rain, who sold them out."

Evie bowed respectfully to the princess. "Empress Kitana. You praise me with your flattering comments. However, I am here to help you, milady." Kitana scoffed in disdain. "And how could you help me, mortal? The only way you could help me right now would be to free me from this place. Otherwise, leave!" Evie sighed. She looked up. "Deep breaths. Deep breaths, Evie." She then looked at the revenants standing in front of her. "Catch!" She threw a silver orb at the Emperor, and he caught it. The ball exploded, dispensing a mist that enveloped the revenants in the room. They hacked and coughed, eventually falling unconscious. Evie watched in triumph as the revenants began to change.

The dead, pale skin was granted its original color, and the luminous veins faded from view. Evie fist-pumped the air happily. "Oh, yeah! I did it! I mean, to be honest, I had no idea that this was going to happen. But this is fine. Now," she said, looking around, "how the fuck am I supposed to move them?"

* * *

"Wait, so let me get this straight. You let the person that you desperately needed for our 'team' to go to the Netherrealm? For an impossible task?" Jax, who had just arrived, was the first to speak amongst the group of incredulous people. Sonya sighed and looked up at the ceiling.  _Evie, you owe me one, you bitch._ "Yes, I did. She's not in any danger. She can't die," she tried to reason. "Okay, then. Let's go through everything else that could happen. She could be captured. She could be falling through an eternal pit of hell. She could have betrayed us," Erron Black counted off his fingers, but Sonya cut him off. "Evie would never betray us!" she argued. "What do you know about trust? Everyone goes to you for help, but I know the dirty liars when I meet them. How do you identify your traitors, Sonya? Oh yeah, you don't. Kano is a perfect example."

"We shouldn't fight," Kot'al Kahn argued. But the two were gone in their fight. Soon, when everyone had gotten involved in the argument, Johnny sighed in disappointment and leaned back in his chair to look at the ceiling. He squinted when he saw a small blue light in the middle. "Uh, guys?" he asked. No one answered. Suddenly, it expanded quickly, and someone fell through, screaming at the top of their lungs. They fell onto the center of the conference table with a harsh impact. Everyone stared at the sight.

Evie was clutching her knees, legs against her chest, still screaming. She was alone, no one else in sight, eyes opened wide in fear. Sonya rubbed her temples. "EVIE! YOU'RE GOOD NOW!" she shouted to get her voice heard over the continuous screaming. Evie abruptly stopped. "Oh, okay." She jumped off as if nothing had happened. Sonya approached her. "What was that all about?" Evie breathed in. "So, you know that the Netherrealm is a one-way ticket in, right? I basically had to find my own way out, but there are barely any portals in that stupid place. The nearest one was at the bottom of a lava pit, and it was, like, right above the surface. So, I'm petrified, and YOU SHOULDN'T BE LAUGHING! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO JUMP TO YOUR IMPENDING DOOM! But, I've decided to just go to another one, but then these Oni come, and I'm like, 'okay, it's just Oni', but I realize that I forgot my weapons, and using my elemental powers in the Netherrealm doesn't mix. It causes catastrophic reactions, you know? So I'm like, 'well, shit. I've got to jump here'. And then I jumped. The end." She breathed for air.

Kenshi cleared his throat. "And, the revenants?" Evie snapped her fingers. "Oh, yeah! Shit. I've um, got them in a pocketspace. You know, the extra imaginary pocket I created with my mind Hold up, let me just.." She motioned with her hands, and the unconscious bodies of the former revenants tumbled out. Takeda facepalmed. "Maybe you should have dropped them in the medbay, you know?" Evie hummed. "What for?" Jacqui, Cassie, and Jin smothered their laughs by coughing, but Sonya frowned. "What the hell did you use?" Evie shrugged. "Just the essence of a gronk, a feather off the tail end of a red-tailed hawk, blood of a deity other then me, and the irregularity of beetles. And then I basically kidnapped them. Why?" Sonya stared at her. "I'm afraid to ask if you're joking or not."

* * *

"Alright class! Lesson one: Keep a peaceful mindset. A healthy brain is a better brain. It's also better for potions. Actually, I really need to make that double hand substance," Evie said, going deep into thought. Reptile looked at his emperor, who tried to ignore him. The Saurian had already voiced his doubts of the Titan, and she was not helping her own case. They had left the former revenants in the medbay, and Sonya requested Evie to host their first lesson. Evie sat on her mat. "Okay, I'm pretty sure that everyone here has some experience in meditation. But for those who don't know, you basically have to clear your mind of everything, and breathe. Let your mind do the rest."

Everyone followed her instructions. As she had suspected, they had if not previously meditated before, they were very good at picking up things quickly. Evie smirked. She pulled out a bag of chips, and popped the bag. Cassie and Jin flinched, but for the most part, no one lost concentration. Then, Evie left her mat, busily walking around everyone while chomping on the chips. Sonya's breathing shifted, becoming more impatient. Yet again, no one reacted. Evie then made a spinning motion with her finger, and a worker turned on the loud fans. More people grimaced, the noise starting to become too much.  _They ARE good. I wonder..._

Evie pulled out a bag of gummy bears she stored in her pocketspace. She shoved one in her mouth, and then grabbed another one. She melted it slightly, making it sticky, and threw it into the people sitting down. It effectively nailed Erron in the forehead. He opened his eyes, enraged. "What the fuck?!" His cry of outrage caused the others to lose their concentration. A few people laughed at the gummy bear firmly lodged in the center of his forehead, but Evie snapped her fingers. "So, what happened?" 

"What happened was you hit me in the head with a piece of candy, making me lose my concentration!" Erron growled. Evie sighed. "Okay, two things. One, they're gummy bears. Get it right. Two, I didn't make you lose your concentration. I just threw it. You chose to address it as a distraction, instead of dismissing it. It also further proves that you weren't looking far enough. If everyone in this room meditates correctly, you should all be so lost in thought, that even if the room was burning to the ground, you wouldn't know it." She spun her finger in a circle again, signaling a redo motion. "Come on! Let's go!"

* * *

"I hate her," Cassie said.

"Thank you for stating the obvious," Jacqui replied. They were in the mess hall, eating their dinner. Their "teacher", after making them run laps and having thrown fireballs at the heels of whoever lagged behind, grabbed an apple and retreated to the training room to practice again. Takeda groaned. "I don't remember any moment when Master Hasashi did anything that extreme. I've been worked out to the point where if I eat, I'm going to hurl." Sonya grimaced. "Don't. Talk. At least you got to run. I've never done that many pull-ups in my life." Cassie threw away the contents of her tray. "I'm going to get back at her for that." Johnny raised a hand. "Wait! That's a really bad idea... oh, whatever. I'm in."

Jacqui filled up a buckets with water, and handed them to Johnny, Jax, Cassie, Jin, and Erron. The others had refused but were invited to watch. They crept to the training room, hiding behind a corner, waiting. Sonya handed Jax the thermal imaging goggles, and saw that Evie was nearby the entrance. Cassie raised her hand.  _3, 2, 1!_ They opened the door and threw the buckets where she was. 

Evie was in a single-handed handstand, the other preoccupied on her cellphone, legs crossed over each other in the air. She was balancing on two fingers, stabilized. When the water hit her, she was drenched, but she didn't react to it at all. Instead, she kept her eyes closed, and didn't move at all. "What the fuck?" Cassie threw her bucket to the side. "Congrats, Cassie. You just wasted your little attempt to do whatever the fuck it was you tried to do." Evie didn't move at all, but spoke with her eyes closed. Cassie shook her finger. "You can't pin this on me!"

"Actually, I can. You see, when I calmed myself, I was able to amplify my abilities, including my telepathic abilities. You can't do anything to prove yourself otherwise. Everyone, you can thank Cassandra Carlton Cage for the extra five laps you will all be running tomorrow. Have a good night."


	5. Old Friends

It was early in the morning, around three A.M. The sun was not visible, and yet a single figure stood outside, spectating the beautifully dotted sky above. Eventually, she returned inside. Evie headed to the kitchen where she started to heat up the oven. She had to get everyone prepared for their next workout. 

She got out multiple cartons of eggs and started to crack them. She then added milk, salt, and a little bit of garlic powder before mixing everything together. Hikari, her direwolf pet, was also awake and crept over to her master, sitting next to her feet. Evie, taking notice of this, opened up a pack of sausages and set them on the floor. Hikari was quick to gobble them up, and when she was done, licked her lips in contentedness. Smiling, Evie continued to cook up breakfast. When she was done and had dispersed them into separate plates, she transported them into the training room, in a specific corner. She had stayed up late last night setting everything up. She eventually nodded in satisfaction, and then proceeded to the control room.

It was here that there were multiple cameras and video recorders, but Evie was not interested in any of it. She scanned the room, looking. She then made a sound of minor surprise and picked up the mic. At that point, it was five A.M. She held the microphone to her lips. "Uh... hello? Testing. Testing. Testing number three. Hello?" There were no sounds of any doors opening. She sighed. "You know, it's such of a beautiful day. I mean, it's really amazing. It's just such a shame that no one else is awake." Yet again, no motions. She breathed in deeply. "OKAY, ASSHOLES. YOU WANT TO PLAY THAT GAME?! I CAN PLAY, TOO! COME ON, LET'S GO! CHOP CHOP! RAIDEN'S NOT WAITING FOR ANYBODY, AND NEITHER AM I!  **LET'S GO!!!** " 

There was a lot of banging on the walls and sounds of people falling on the floor.  _There we go; much better._ "AND DON'T FORGET TO WEAR PANTS, JOHNNY!!!"

* * *

 Ko'tal Kahn may have looked like he was calm and collected, but on the inside, he was fuming. In fact, the only other person that was politely keeping their cool was the Lin Kuei Grandmaster, but the emperor of Outworld could feel his patience wearing thin as well. He stood next to Erron and Cassie in the training room, waiting for their infuriating instructor. She eventually walked in through the door which led to the railings in the ceiling. She walked on the pipes, not losing balance whatsoever. "Morning, ladies!" she said, cheerfully. "Hey, a little warning next time with the PA system? My left ear is deaf right now," Jax complained. Evie stared. "Really? It made you deaf? Aw, that's too bad. I was hoping for some bleeding eardrums. Guess I'll have to increase the volume next time," she replied, in a sickeningly sweet tone. Many people were still rubbing the sleep out of their eyes.

"Now, I know you're all wondering, 'what about breakfast?'. Well, I'm not inhumane as to forget about breakfast, let me tell you about it. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And in my opinion, the best tasting meal. You know, it's got like, orange juice, apple juice, eggs, bacon, sausages, waffles, et cetera. Believe me, I could just go on all day. My point is, I didn't forget about breakfast. In fact, it's in this room." Jin yawned. "Well, where is it?" Evie, still high up, walked over to the corner of her "floor" and pointed at her feet. On the pipes, next to her feet, were plates of food. Johnny sighed. "I'm. So done. Right now." Evie shrugged. "I mean, I used everything in the refrigerator. So, you can go and eat oats, or you can get up here, and eat this."

* * *

 In the end, the task proved easy for Sub-Zero, with Sonya and Kenshi being able to reach the destination daily quickly themselves. However, as the others struggled, the event eventually came to an end when a flailing cowboy mercenary slipped and fell, hitting his head on the floor. Although it wasn't a harsh impact, Evie was sympathetic enough to stop the exercise and hand out the remaining food to the others. As they ate, Evie stretched and sighed. "I'm going to check on our kidnapped victims. Anyone who wants to come with me is free to join." 

Ultimately, everyone except for the Outworlders had elected to go, Sonya eventually sending Cassie and her SF team away, much to the young girl's frustration. However, Sonya had allowed Kung Jin to come, due to the fact that he was desperate to see his cousin, Kung Lao, again. They walked through the halls to the medbay and went inside. Fortunately, most of the former revenants were awake, but Sindel was still out cold. They looked up simultaneously to see Sonya, Johnny, Kenshi, and Jax. Sonya went to greet Kitana, and the two hugged affectionately, while the others mingled and talked. Evie, standing in the corner, studied Jin's emotional conversation with Kung Lao, both of them almost reduced to tears. Meanwhile, Smoke had punched Sub-Zero on the shoulder, and was back to his joking personality. Although, when Kuai Liang had shared the fact that he was now Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei, Smoke's smirk was instantly vaporized, much to Evie's amusement.

"But how did you free us, Sonya? I can't remember anything, other than the fact that I was a revenant and did bad things, but I can't remember anything that happened in the past few days," Kitana said. Evie, still in the corner, cleared her throat. She wished she had worn something other than her "YOLO" shirt and baggy pants, but it was too late now. "Hi," she waved. Nightwolf narrowed his eyes. "What exactly are you? You don't seem to be human." Evie sighed. "I know, I know. It's the arms, right?" She held up her arms for emphasis, showing the stone. "It's starmetal. Some stupid material that strengthens my powers, or some other stupid shit. Whatever. All Titans had a metal that their bones were made of. My mother's was gold, I think. I don't know. I didn't see her skeleton. But, that's what I am; a Titan."

Sonya cut her off. "Evie is a Titan, which doesn't disqualify her from the tournament. Therefore, she can hopefully defeat Raiden's strongest champions in Mortal Kombat. Yeah, you heard me. Raiden absorbed Shinnok's energy in the Jinsei, but it turned him evil. He attacked Outworld with the Shirai Ryu, and now, Outworld is defending itself in another tournament. We are supporting them, currently, and hopefully, Evie will come up with something to help Raiden like she helped you."

"Bu-i-wir-be-hurd," Evie said. Kenshi sighed. "Maybe you should talk after eating your food, Evie." She swallowed. "Hey! Don't hate slash discriminate. I don't even know anymore. But what I meant to say was that it will be hard to do. It was easier to help all of you, as I had help from a goddess inhabiting a human body. I invited her to come here (sorry Sonya), and she'll actually be here today. Her name's Delia, and she's chill. Whatever, you probably don't know what that means. Forget it." Jin frowned. "Wait, so were you joking about what went into that potion thing?" 

Evie tilted her head in confusion. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

* * *

 The conference room had become even more jam-packed, with more people joining the fight. At first, a few of the revenants had seemed unwilling to enter the tournament again, but eventually agreed, knowing that it was their responsibility to stick with their friends and help them. Evie was waiting at the front of the SF base entrance, looking for her "friend". Eventually, Evie opened the doors, allowing a darker-skinned woman to enter the room. She was dressed in clothing similar to Kitana's (after the former revenants had been given their original outfits again), but in a green color scheme. However, her eyes were a luminous blue. "Everyone, meet Delia! This is my dear, old friend," Evie explained. Delia waved, but Kitana stood up with wide eyes.

"Jade?" she whispered in shock. 

Liu placed a hand on Kitana's shoulder, and there was an uncomfortable silence that engulfed the room. "Oh, shit. Umm, this is bad, isn't it? Fuck!" Evie facepalmed. "Delia" shook her head. "No, Evie. Everything is fine. Princess Kitana just thinks that I am her lost friend, Jade. Your friend allowed me to use her body to help her friends from Quan Chi. However, I, as a deity, was not able to enter the Netherrealm. Then, I met Evie, and I provided her with the potion that she would need later on. At first, there was a lot of mistrust, but we overcame those obstacles. As for Jade, she and I are one mind and soul. We are able to speak out at times, once the other gives permission." Her eyes closed, and Delia shook unsteadily. When she opened her eyes, the shining blue eyes were replaced by the familiar brown. 

"Kitana?" she gasped.


	6. Unfortunate Circumstances

"Is it truly you, Jade?" Kitana whispered. The other woman nodded. "Jade and I are one. Jade gave me permission to use her body as a vessel, in return that I restore you and your friends from your untimely end. Unfortunately, I was not able to step foot into the Netherrealm. Therefore, when I first met Evie and glanced into her future, I noticed that she would go to the revenants eventually. I provided her with the potion and explained its purpose. She was, at first, confused. However, I am glad to see that she eventually figured out the purpose of the spell. I thank you, Evie." 

She perked her head up. She seemed to be in discomfort, squirming. "Huh? Someone call my name?"

"OTHERWISE! Like I was saying, Jade and I share the same body. When one person is in control, we are able to pass the control to the other when we want to." To show this, her eyes closed, and when they opened again, the eyes had turned into a brown color. "Kitana?" Jade sounded like she was waking up from a dream. Kitana ran and embraced her friend in a heartwarming hug. Eventually, the other ex-revenants joined them and thanked her.

**THUD.**

Sonya whipped her head around to see Evie on her hands and knees, groaning in pain. "Evie? What's wrong?" Sonya knelt next to her, but she didn't answer. Instead, she began retching and regurgitated blood mixed with an inky black substance. Sonya leaped back, as if shocked by lightning. "Everyone, get back!" she barked. When Evie eventually stopped, she did not get up from her position. Delia, no longer Jade, cleared her throat. "To whom am I speaking to?" No answer. She cautiously stepped forward, holding a finger to stop the people behind her. "Is it Midnight? Have you taken over Evie?" Evie's body shook horrendously with giggles. She looked up. "No. How did you know?" 

Evie's eyes were enveloped in black. There were no pupils to speak of. She smiled sadistically, revealing rows of teeth that resembled those of a shark. From the tips of her fingers were claws that were made of the starmetal she had talked about earlier. She still cackled, a hand cutting deep into her own arm. "Oh, I remember the last time I was allowed to come out. I believe it was during the hard times of the Netherrealm war. All the deaths, all the pain, it feeds me." She turned to the two Lin Kuei in the room. "Just like how the deaths of your clan fed me just now. They're all dead, you know. Except for one. You know, the martyr. I hate backstabbers.  **They're so untrustful** ," she growled. " **Your little lying cryomancer BITCH led Raiden into the underground paths, and she ki-** " She froze in place. The teeth and claws were slowly retracting, the eyes returning to their normal color. "STOP, GET OUT -  **I'm in control, now** \- SHUT UP! -  **You can't shut me out forever** \- GET OUT OF MY FUCKING HEAD!!!" 

Evie clutched her head and screamed, the glass window of the door breaking and the lights flickering. Everything was calm when she slumped to the ground, unconscious. Sonya talked into her wristcomm. "Send a medic to the conference room." She sighed and sat in her chair, rubbing her temples. Kuai left the room, no doubt going back to the Lin Kuei. "Delia, or Jade, is there a possibility that she could be telling the truth?" Smoke asked. Delia looked up through tired eyes. "Is there a possibility? There's no possibility that she is WRONG. Midnight is a demon that manifested in Evie when she was born. She makes her appearance when Evie suffers. Unfortunately, she can feel the deaths of people over the world in large quantities. That would explain Midnight's appearance."

"You should go with Kuai. He'll need your support," Sonya said. She knelt next to her friend. "She said it was over," she muttered. Delia shook her head. "Our demons never escape us. In Evie's case, it's merely taken a literal form."

* * *

"Frost is gone. No doubt she left with Raiden. The Lin Kuei have been wiped out." Sub-Zero slouched in his seat. Tomas shook his head. "I always knew that she was obsessed with the prospect of power. Raiden no doubt promised her the Dragon Medallion if she joined his cause." Tomas sat next to his friend. The two had returned and were sitting together in the empty conference room. Kuai shook his head. "I tried to convince her otherwise, Tomas. What did I do wrong?" Smoke placed a firm hand on his friend's shoulder. "Not a damn thing, Kuai. Yes, sometimes people can be changed, but some people don't deserve that second chance. Frost is a perfect example. I have no doubt that she will participate in the tournament, and then, we will be able to avenge our fallen clan. But until then, we must prepare."

Kuai looked up. He had a brittle expression on his face. "Hanzo was there. I saw some of his Shirai Ryu. He broke the peace that we agreed to." Smoke sighed. "He has always been troubled. We may need to fight him in the tournament. When the time comes, like with Frost, we will avenge the Lin Kuei."

All of a sudden, Kenshi ran down the hall. He stopped at the conference room and opened the door. "Sub-Zero! Smoke! We need your help. Sonya and Delia are a bit preoccupied at the moment with the tour, but Evie's awakened. Except, it's not really her." They both frowned. "What are you talking about?"

* * *

"Hey! I've got a shiny! Right here!"

"What the hell, Johnny? Put that away!" Jax snapped. Johnny frowned. Evie, or whoever it was, was sitting on a chandelier in the formal dining room. She looked normal this time, except for the fact that her eyes had changed again to a luminous silver (no pupils again), and she had wings. They were those resembling an eagle's except it was proportionate to her body. They looked like they would drag on the floor behind her if she let them as she walked. They were also made of the same diamond-like material, starmetal. She crossed her arms as if offended when Johnny offered her the coin and turned away. Nightwolf rubbed his eyes. "Sonya told us about a demon possessing her, but never about a guardian angel. I've never seen one before."

"Yeah, I don't think anyone here else did either, genius! Now, could you help us here?" Stryker glared at the shaman. Kabal placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Let's calm down, Stryker." Ko'tal Kahn spoke. "I remember that every angel had a different attribute. Some were connected to peace, others to harmony, and some to other purposes. I have no idea what her true purpose could be." The doors opened. Smoke, who had left to get Sonya and Delia, had returned with them. Sonya scowled. "What the fuck happ- oh." Delia raised her eyebrow. "Looks like those medics used too much happy juice."

"Okay. I don't know anything else about Lumina other than she comes out when Evie's happy," Sonya admitted. Delia stepped forward. "Lumina? It's me, Delia. Remember? We played together when we were children." Lumina said nothing but stuck up her middle finger and directed it at the people below. Liu Kang squinted. "How did she get up there, anyway? She couldn't have flown up. Her wings have been damaged. They're broken and bent." Delia nodded sadly. "She disobeyed the gods' wishes by creating something that she read about in the Forbidden Library. As punishment, her wings were clipped and she was sent to Earth. When a deity's wings are clipped, they can never set foot in Heaven again." Kenshi frowned. "What did she do to piss them off, anyway?"

"I created life. I was cast to the world I created as punishment for my actions. My father, king of Heaven at the time had affairs with mortals over the following decades, and Hanzo was born. That's why he is Evie's sibling. He was able to survive the Netherrealm because of my father's traits." The angel studied her fingernails in contempt. "And then, he goes and kills Evie's, MY daughter. There is no tie between us anymore." Sonya frowned. "Don't listen to her. She's terrible and is a REALLY good liar." 

Lumina kicked off the chandelier, jumping backward in a somersault and landing on the ground. She stood up, brushing herself off. "I'm not a LIAR. I took control forcefully to force Midnight into the deep recesses of Evie's mind. Remember that although we are the most prevalent counterparts of Evie, there are others who may make an appearance. Her time on Earth has unstablized her personality enough. Gluttony, Envy, Cupid, Amity, and others will look for chances to break out. I act as the mother of the group, but I can not control all of them. You must find out how to deal with them yourselves. Have a good day." Her eyes changed again, and the wings faded away. Evie wobbled on her feet. She rubbed her eyes.

"What the hell happened? I feel like someone spun me around in a spinning office chair over and over again. Wait. Did you DRUG ME?!" 

* * *

 As Evie set up the training room for the session, Smoke elbowed Kuai, jolting him out of his thoughts. "Despite everything that's going on right now, I mean, you do have to admit that she looks hot, right?" Kuai looked at his friend. "What?" Tomas motioned towards Evie. Kuai glared at his friend, who held up his hands in the air. "I mean, she does have a nice ass, right?" Kuai looked at her, and then back at Tomas. "I hate you," he muttered. Tomas cackled. Evie clapped her hands together. "Everyone, sit down! Standard meditation procedure. Everyone close their eyes and breath calmly. Take deep breaths. I want everyone to be so lost in their thoughts that they don't even notice anything I do, alright?"

Once everyone had settled into their stances and relaxed, some knowing about what was coming, and others oblivious, Evie opened up her instrument case, and pulled out a trumpet.  **HONK!** Thankfully, there was no reaction. She marched around, blasting the instrument in ridiculous notes. She stood next to Erron and blasted the trumpet right in his face. He didn't react whatsoever, much to Evie's delight. She put the trumpet away and focused on the newcomers. Of course, Delia was helping Evie with her tasks and passed Evie buckets of water. She trickled the water on the head of Stryker. He grimaced at first, but realizing that it was a dripping, he relaxed. Then, Evie dumped the rest of it on his head.

He sputtered, shaking the water off his head. With everyone laughing and/or smirking, Evie once again had to explain the importance of this exercise, and after she did, someone else spoke. "You know, she's absolutely correct. Training your focus can sharpen your abilities in Kombat. It points out weaknesses you may not have seen before or events that may save your life." Everyone turned around to see Fujin at the doors of the training room. Evie smiled. "Fujin. How are you doing?" He shrugged. "I don't know. Raiden has taken over the Sky Temple and has allied himself with the Red and Black Dragon. He also has the Shirai Ryu. However, I'm more concerned about what happened to  _you,_ Evie. I sensed a change in energy pulse of chi. It fell drastically below the line, and then jumped up to sky-high levels before stabilizing." 

Evie grimaced. "It's still a work in progress. Midnight won't relent. She's so intent on my emotions. You know, last year, she tried to hook me up with someone, but thankfully, Lumina stopped her. That was the scariest moment of my life." Fujin chuckled. "Not when you faced Shinnok in the Netherrealm alone?" Evie scoffed. "I would take a battle against the gods than getting involved in a relationship. No. Fucking. Way." 

"Why have you come here, Fujin?" Kenshi asked. "As I said, Raiden took over the Sky Temple, and I was given the chance to join him or die. I knew that he had lost his mind, so that night, I fled. I did not know where to go at first, but I decided to reach out to you. I could not use teleportation of any kind; Raiden was able to monitor me. That was why it took me so long to get here. I'm sorry I could not get here in time." Sonya nodded in response. "Come on, Fujin. Let's get you set up with a room. I'll fill you in on the situation."

* * *

Raiden frowned as he looked at the arguing disciples he controlled. Kano and Daegon were locked in a fierce debate, and Scorpion was trying to stifle his anger toward the female Lin Kuei that had just joined their ranks. How were they supposed to bring peace to the realms if they couldn't work amongst themselves? Raiden pulled a fuming Hanzo off to the side. "If you don't want to be here right now, I need you to run a side mission. I can deal with them while you go. But what I need you to do..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking about making this a Sub-Zero/OC story. Also, I have added more characters as the story has progressed, so be sure to check the tags, because they have certainly changed by now. I'll be changing the tags as I go on. Thank you for reading!


	7. Kidnapping

Kung Lao's dreams had been plagued by nightmares.

He could remember all the things that he had done, starting with his death. Whatever it was, he couldn't sleep. He sat in the living room with the others who had opted to stay awake with him and the ex-revenants to provide comfort. However, Sonya had retreated into her office to deal with paperwork. They were playing card games, magically produced by the Titan. If you asked him, he would say that he didn't fully trust the Titan, but if Fujin trusted her, then that was all he needed. Jacqui groaned and leaned back. "This is boring. We should play something else." Cassie, Takeda, and Jin all nodded in agreement. Kung Lao's heart twinged when he saw his cousin. He couldn't help but remember the difficult position that he had put Jin in when he was gone. "Okay, what do you want to do, then?" Evie leaned forwards slightly, willing to listen.

"Let's play Truth or Dare!" Jacqui, Cassie, and Jin all groaned at Takeda's offer. "No way. Not in a million years," Cassie said. Evie smirked. "Why, Cassandra? Bad memories?" The teenager glared at the Titan. "Fuck you."

"What is Truth or Dare?" Ko'tal Kahn asked, perplexed. He received disbelieved faces as they turned to him. "Okay, that's it. I'll explain the game, and we'll play," Evie said. "We need a bottle first," Johnny interrupted. Evie nodded and pulled out a beer bottle from the air, and chugged it down. Jax whistled. "Damn, girl!" Evie smiled. "Alcohol doesn't affect me, so I can do that. Kids, don't try to do that." After she had finished explaining the rules of the game, with help of others interjecting occasionally time to time, they started. "Okay, I'll start. Johnny, truth or dare?"

"I'm not a pussy. I'll go with dare," he smirked. "Drink the smoothie that I give you." Johnny shrugged. "Fine by me." Evie got up to the kitchen and mixed in a few things, blending everything together. The resulting color was a light peach, with orange flecks in it. Johnny stared at the thing like it was vomit (it kind of was). "That's... not going to kill me, is it?" Evie shook her head. "Not if you gulp the thing down." He took the glass hesitantly, grimacing once the smell hit them. "Ugh! Good luck, Cage. You'll need it," Liu said, grinning. Johnny groaned. "Shit." He sipped the drink, and instantly gagged, running to the bathroom and making it in time before vomiting. Evie took the glass and calmly sipped it. "Hmph. Pussy." 

Johnny staggered out of the bathroom, wiping his mouth. "What the fuck did you put in that?" Evie looked up in thought. "Um, let's see. Carrots, turkey slices, and broccoli. Oh yeah, kale too." Johnny looked bewildered. "But, that's like a dinner meal? Why was it so bad?" Evie shrugged. "You chickened out. Come on, spin the bottle." He shook his head and spun it around. It landed on Takeda. He answered truth when asked the question, to which Johnny asked if he had ever "done it" with Jacqui. Jax's face turned a boiling red in anger, but Takeda calmly replied "no". They were in the early stages of their relationship, and they weren't pushing it.

At that particular moment, Evie frowned. She stared off into the distance, the colors of her pupils blurring. She stood up. "Something's not right," she said. A loud explosion sounded, and everyone fell to the ground due to the tremor. Alarms sounded while the kombatants collected themselves. Evie, unfazed by the events, ran to Sonya's office, but when she had arrived, there was a fire in the room, a hole in the wall, and no sign of her friend.

* * *

"THAT  **BITCH** **! I'll KILL HIM!** "

"Let's calm down, Evie. We don't want Midnight to emerge again," Fujin said. On the other side, Smoke frowned. "Why did you say 'female dog'? Frost doesn't use fire." Evie growled. "No, but my dear undead brother does. AND, he can teleport. Fucking-" She kicked the table in anger. She sighed and held her head in her hands. "Okay, let's think about this. Sonya has been taken. Scorpion has undoubtedly brought her back to wherever Raiden is, which is most likely going to be at the temple." Johnny snapped. "So, why don't we just GO THERE?" Jade spoke. "It's too risky, Johnny. We are not able to take down Raiden's forces right now. They are in a fortified temple, with Tarkatans and misled monks guarding it. We will be overwhelmed."

"But we can't just do NOTHING!" Stryker slammed his fists on the table. Fujin looked at his friend. "Evie, what do you want to do?" She was staring at the wall behind her, the chair turned completely around. "What can we do? All we can do is prepare for the tournament and try to rescue Sonya there, where they aren't as guarded as they are now. I can only hope that Sonya will be able to survive that long." Evie sighed and turned around. "I just can't see it. When I was in Heaven, I was able to see events in the future about an hour before it happened, but now, I can only see them after it happens. I should have been able to predict it." Fujin shook his head. "We are all capable of amazing feats, but remember that no one can do everything."

Johnny shook his head. "I'm going to train." He left the room, Stryker, and Kabal following seconds later. Nightwolf turned to Evie. "They won't be leaving, right?" Evie sighed. "Like I said, I'm not sure. But I hope that they will be able to regain common sense once they calm down. We can't afford to lose anyone else." One by one, they left the room, Evie being the only one left in the end. She continued to stare at the wall, quietly mulling over things. Her head rotated slightly to look halfway behind her. "I've been expecting you. Come on and help me. Together, we have the capability to do anything. Let us put our differences aside. As of right now, we have a common foe to face in ten minutes."

* * *

Evie's feet crunched softly in the fallen leaves hidden under the blanket of snow. She was in the mountains, trekking upwards to her location. She breathed softly and faded from sight... 

and found herself standing precariously on the edge of a roof.

She wobbled for a minute before regaining her balance, panting slightly in relief. Teleportation was always difficult for her to master. She was currently wearing her silver attire, sword now strapped to her back. Behind her stood a dark figure clothed in a black leather jacket with black spikes on the shoulder pads, and wearing black ripped jeans. She had hollow eyes and a bleeding lip, but it was not distracting her. Evie motioned to her, and the other woman held her hands close to the ground, sensing for something. She nodded her head in a certain location, and Evie walked forward, hands igniting in fire. The ceiling slowly started to melt after the red-hot fire changed to a blue blaze. Eventually, there was a hole in the ceiling, and the two climbed down.

In the room, Sonya was chained to the wall, face bruised horribly and wounds adorning her body. Evie held a finger over the mask that covered the lower half of her face, and Sonya nodded in return. The other person placed their cold hands on Sonya's wrists, and they became transparent. Sonya was able to slip out of the shackles, and after the same had been done to her ankles, Sonya collapsed to the ground. The two rescuers looked at each other, and as if they had understood the other, the other person grabbed Sonya and teleported away to the forest they had been at before. In her place, another person stood.

She was wearing white shining armor that glowed brilliantly, perfect for a distraction. She nodded to Evie and disappeared as well. Moments later, there was a clamor outside, and Evie sealed the ceiling above her by reversing time in that one pocket. Once she was satisfied, she exited the cell room... and came face to face with Hanzo.

The two stared at each other in a brief moment of shock before he sent his kunai at her. "GET OVER HERE!" Evie blocked the point with her stone arms and drew her sword. Yelling a war cry, she launched herself at her half-brother and swung down. He blocked the blade with his twin blades before forcing her backward. He moved forward to lunge at her, but she used her sword to flick it away. Her sword was also made of starmetal, but the blade had been colored due to the unnatural fire it had been forged in. One side of it was tinged white, while the other was black as obsidian. Evie was all about the light and darkness, so the blade had been destined to be hers. She had named it "Archangel", in a tribute to what she had basically become.

The two traded blows with their weapons, neither one seeming to get the upper hand. However, Evie had another trick up her sleeve. The starmetal, being an excellent conductor for magic, was ignited in a blue blaze, and that was all it took to distract Hanzo before she kicked at his feet and held the blade a safe distance away from his neck, the flames licking greedily. Hanzo, despite this, glared at his opponent. "What have you done to Sonya?" Evie snarled in retaliation. "I set her free. Unlike you, you traitor." They both glared at each other, Evie starting to understand what was going on. Suddenly, a Tarkatan rushed into the hallway, charging at Evie. However, before she could swing, Hanzo sent a fireball at his feet, tripping him and allowing Evie to dispatch him easier. 

She looked down again to see Hanzo's defiant face. She extinguished the blade and sheathed it. "Damn you, asshole." She helped him to his feet. "If it wasn't for the fact that we were in need of help, I'd deal with you now about Hikari." He looked uncomfortable at the mention of the girl that Evie had named the direwolf after. "I'm sorry for killing your daughter. I didn't know at the time." Evie scoffed in derision. "Whatever. All that matters now is that Raiden will have your head if you don't come with me. Keep up if you want to live."

* * *

Hold up, what is HE doing here?" Stryker was furious. This asshole had broke into their base, captured Sonya, and was now with them? Evie raised her hands in a placating manner. "Look, I'm less enthusiastic about having him here. But the thing is, even if he betrays us, I'll stick my sword up his ass in fire, so it won't matter. By the way, are you SURE that Sonya is safe?" At that moment, Kenshi backed into the room, urging someone to retreat back into their rooms, but his pleading was unheeded. A Sub-Zero emitting the chill of a frigid blizzard entered the room, hands clenched in fists at his side. Smoke also followed his friend, holding one of his arms back, but in vain as his friend had still managed to enter the room anyway. If it were not for the tense situation, Evie would have laughed at the gray-clad ninja's attempts to restrain his friend. For a moment, there was complete silence (save for Tomas's continuous attempts to calm Kuai).

"Scorpion," Sub-Zero hissed.

Evie, taking a seat for the first time in the last few hours, sighed and sat down, pulling out a book from the pocketspace. "Look, if you boys are going to tussle, do it outside, okay? I spent every penny to get this building built, and I'm not going to see it get destroyed because of two men with anger issues."

* * *

 Evie sat solemnly next to the prone form of Sonya, who was in the bed next to the still unconscious Sindel. She held her friend's hand, shaking her head. This was definitely the work of Raiden. The scorch marks were too chaotic to be from fire. It was the cause of lightning. Johnny walked in behind her. "Hey, Ev. How are you?" He used his abbreviated nickname for his friend. She sighed. "How am I supposed to be feeling right now? Everyone looks to me as if I'm Raiden's replacement, but I'm more useless than he was. Sub-Zero and Scorpion are duking it out in the courtyard, and Sindel and Sonya are severely injured. What am I supposed to do, Johnny?" She still clutched Sonya's hand. 

"Look, Evie, you're doing more for us than Raiden's ever did. You brought back the revenants, Jade or Delia, whoever she is, and Sonya. I can't thank you enough. As for them, they'll work out their differences. You just have to give them time. They'll heal."

**"GET OVER HERE!"**

Evie stared pointedly at Johnny, who sighed in exasperation. "Or, they can exhaust the other out so that we can intervene before it gets hairy. Whatever. What I'm trying to say is that you're not doing anything wrong. We can regroup after this. You just need to inspire the others to keep fighting."

Evie nodded, the two falling into silence, listening to the sounds of the heartbeat monitor and the fighting outside. "Uh, should we go and stop them, or-" Evie stood up. "Yeah, let's go."  


	8. Update

Hey guys! Some of you may be wondering why I haven't been updating this for a while, and no, I'm not going to just stop this story here. Actually, there was a blackout the past few days, and I could not work on it at all. I'm going to start working on it again, I promise!

Once again, thank you for reading! See you in the next chapter!

-Crystal_Prisom


	9. Family

"Wait, so what happened?" Johnny, who had not seen what had initially started the fight, was perplexed. Kabal slightly turned to him, keeping an eye on the crowd. "I have no fucking clue. I'm just here for the betting table." Johnny nodded and surveyed his surroundings. Most of the kombatants were cheering and spurring on the fight, while Smoke was shaking nervously on his feet. Johnny back turned to Kabal. "Wait, you're betting on this?!" Kabal nodded. "Even Liu and Kitana voiced their opinions and placed some money down, but the Outworlders haven't joined in, and Smoke as well. Neither have the other deities. Me? I'm with Scorpion. Yeah, Kuai is right in wanting to kill him (I want to, too), but he's not good enough." Johnny shook his head. "That's so sick and disgusting. Count me in."

Kabal chuckled. "Who are you betting on?" Johnny smirked. "I'm betting one thousand dollars. Put me down for the closest option that says that a hot brunette in silver assassin garb will jump down and beat both their asses up in three.. two.. one.."

The said person (listening to the conversation) jumped from a large of the nearby building between the two, not getting phased in any way by the impact of the landing. At that moment, Kuai had launched an ice ball while Hanzo shot a fireball. Evie caught both of them with either hand and extinguished them. She glared at the both of them, drawing Archangel. "You are both acting like CHILDREN!" she spat. "If we are going to win in the tournament, we have to work together. It's common sense, dumbasses! Didn't you watch Dora or some other shit when you were younger?" Johnny raised his hand like a kid eager to answer a question. "I did!" 

"Oh my god, Johnny," Jax facepalmed in exasperation.

With Johnny's outburst, Hanzo took the distraction to teleport behind Kuai and kick him to the ground. While they fought, Evie growled and dug her fingers into her scalp with frustration. "You guys are pissing me off. Are you serious? STOP!" They continued to fight, and Evie developed a nasty twitch in her eye. OKAY THEN. FINE." She groaned in pain as her human shape began to change. Her face elongated to form a snout, while her arms and legs shrunk slightly. She grew ears at the top of her head and developed a bushy tail. However, it was made of starmetal. It's entire body. Her claws extended, and she transformed into her namesake that she used in her vigilante years; a Diamond Direwolf. Her crystalline fur was sharp, hanging off the body in shards. Her claws dug into the ground and growled menacingly at the two oblivious fighting ninjas. She leapt into the middle of the brawl and whipped her tail, knocking back her half-brother (and also scratching him in the process). She then turned around, facing the other involved in the skirmish, and tackled him to the ground.

* * *

 Sindel shot up, awake and flinging her arms around, afraid that the monster, Shao Kahn, was nearby. She struggled to control her breathing, realizing that she was not being held hostage. The Earthrealm Special Forces general, Sonya Blade, was laying in another bed, and Sindel got up, looking at her change of clothing. Seeing the clothes reminded her of something... she gasped as she remembered the events that had happened before, starting from the moment when she had been resurrected by the sorcerer, Quan Chi. She eventually had the courage to stand up and seek her daughter, hoping that she had also been saved as well.

She walked through the hallways, receiving many confused looks from the soldiers on the base, but she paid no attention to them. Her journey eventually led her close enough to hear the sounds of a brawl outside. Cautiously, the Edenian queen crept outside, staring at the scene. A man dressed in Shirai Ryu clothing was on his back, holding a crystal wolf's jaws open to prevent it from closing on his head. Meanwhile, a Lin Kuei was on it's back, restraining it by holding it in a chokehold and attempting to pull it back. Neither one was looking successful in their efforts, until the Lin Kuei somehow froze the head of the beast, stunning it, and throwing it away. However, it landed on its feet and was about to lunge at the two again.

"What is going on?" Sindel asked. 

At that moment, everything that was happening before stopped as all eyes were trained on her. "Mother?" Kitana rushed towards her mother, embracing her. Sindel was close to tears, finally able to hold her daughter. Jade approached and bowed to her queen. "Queen Sindel." She nodded gratefully at the green-clothed Edenian. "Thank you for being there for my Kitana, Jade." Johnny clapped his hands together, effectively ruining the moment. "Alright! It's been such of a good day today. We've got us a fight, a resurrected queen,.. and money that is owed to ME. So, when do I get paid?"

"Johnny, shut up," Kenshi snapped.

"Why? Still sore you lost?"

"I will punch you."

* * *

A few days later, Sonya eventually awoke and was joyous at the revelation that Sindel had woken up. Informed by Cassie, she was at first irritated at the mention of a fight, but also laughed at the details of what had happened. At the notice that she was forced to be restricted to the medbay only, Sonya was dismayed. However, mother and daughter continued to talk together, and they laughed at each other's words and experiences. Eventually, Cassie got up to leave, smiling as she exited the room. She turned around...

only to narrowly avoid a bullet that would have penetrated her skull.

Cassie whipped around, scowling at the scene. Ko'tal Kahn was towering over a terrified Johnny Cage, with Jax, Stryker, Kabal, and Kenshi standing behind him, offering moral support. Ferra was behind her emperor, a recovered Torr with her, and Reptile nowhere to be seen (although no one usually saw him anyways). Fujin was arguing with Delia, now in control of Jade's body. Behind the conflicts, a very amused Liu Kang and Kitana were watching as Kung Lao (with the unhelpful aid of his cousin, who made jokes about the Grandmasters fighting) tried to placate a petrified Smoke, the couple holding hands. Tomas was immobile, keeping an eye on his friend, whose back muscles were tense as he held a stare-off with the other Grandmaster, standing in the corner. Sindel was cheering as Erron Black shot the walls in boredom, making everyone tenser. However, Cassie thought he was trying to hit an invisible Reptile. She sighed and walked over to her confused friends. "What happened?" she asked Jacqui.

"Basically, what happened was everyone had the great idea to go to the infirmary. Yeah, I don't know," Jacqui shook her head. Suddenly, a blue light appeared, and out stepped a stumbling Evie, trying to stay upright on her feet. The portal closed, and she sighed in relief. "I was at a conference with the Elder Gods. The tournament's in three weeks. Enough time to prepare, don't you think?" Wide-eyed, shocked Cassie, Jacqui, and Takeda pointed to the crowd of arguing people. Evie stared for a full minute before shaking her head in anger. "WHAT THE FUCK, MAN?! DON'T. SHOOT. THE. WALLS!" She snatched the gun from an irritated Black. She walked over to Smoke, snapping her fingers in front of his face, not getting a reaction. In concern, she turned to Kung Lao. "What's wrong with him?"

"Sub-Zero and Scorpion. What else? Poor guy hasn't gotten a break knowing that a fight could happen any second." He shook the grey ninja slightly for emphasis, no reaction again. Evie facepalmed, reaching into her pocketspace and grabbing a megaphone and turning it on. "ALRIGHT, EVERYONE STOP, DROP, AND ROLL." The conflict between Outworlders and Earthrealmers stopped, as well as Smoke's predicament, but no one else paused (Reptile did turn visible again, due to the sudden noise). Evie groaned. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? **SHUT. UP!!!"**  

"We are in trouble. The tournament is in THREE WEEKS, and here I am, dealing with CHILDREN. No offence to the actual children, but we can NOT afford to act like this. We are going to DIE, and we will be handing the victory to Raiden and his goons. I don't know about you, but I want to WIN. And if I have to, I will leave you behind and go there MYSELF to win ALONE. So, you can all shape up, or be hung up. I am done with dealing with all of you."

She stomped off angrily, huffing in anger.


	10. A Quiet Place

There was a place that few people knew existed, and fewer knew the exact location of. It spoke of pale sunlight seeping through cracks created by the lush leaves of the flowing willows, swaying in the firm but calm wind. The sky, as people said, was a pure turquoise curtain without a single cloud that humans could lose themselves in just by staring at it for too long. Dotting the landscape were deep blue ponds that sparkled under the sun, the low branches of the willows draping over them. It was also believed that a fierce and majestic dragon lived there, guarding the beauty of the land from humans who sought to destroy it. 

Said dragon landed on the ground, stopping for a drink. The draconian being bent its long neck, craning over the pool. Its hide was near impenetrable, reflecting the sun's rays due to its lustre. It looked up, and instantly, the spikes on its neck bristled. It could sense an intruder, and the dragon took off, seeking the human who had found this place. It could locate the being using hearing and scent, and it spiralled lazily downwards. The human who had glanced up saw the dragon and loosed arrows that did nothing to faze it. The man was wearing special armour and had a tattoo on the side of his face. The beast snorted in anger and smashed the ground with an intense force that sent the human back. The dragon whipped around, snarling at the man who drew his sword. Man and beast charged, a scaly tail whipping around. However, the man leapt over it and continued to charge at the beast. 

For a while, neither one could seem to get the upper hand. Eventually, the man swung his blade with a ferocity that stunned the beast once it had connected with its head, and he took his chance to launch a fireball. He was about to hit the monster with its shoulder, but the thing had recovered quickly, and suddenly, it began to change. The man watched in surprise as the thing shrunk, becoming a person. It was female, and a flash of recognition shone in his eyes, but he could not do anything. She quickly threw throwing knives at his figure. He disengaged in a backflip and launched another fireball at her. She took this moment to surprise him again by catching it midair and tossing it back to him. He was just able to dodge it, the flames hitting a tree. He looked back at the attacker, the two still locked in battle positions. Slowly, however, the man stood straight, and bowed to the aggressor, smirking in amusement.

"You have grown stronger ever since our last encounter, Evie," he stood straight again. She sighed in exasperation. "Well, now I would look like a jerk if I continued attacking you at this point, wouldn't I?" The two embraced each other, hugging the other. Eventually, Evie playfully pushed him away. "Where have you been, Taven? You disappeared when we were children." He nodded. "My parents saw that my brother, Daegon, and I were destined to save the realms. Therefore, my father encased the both of us in a cave, keeping us preserved until it was our time." He gestured towards her. "It seems you have picked up a few tricks over the years." Evie scoffed. "Few tricks, my ass. I know so many things that it's a wonder that my head hasn't exploded from the amount of information stored in my brain."

Taven cocked his head to the side. "You look tired. Is something wrong?" Evie shrugged. "Well..."

* * *

"And now, I've got people unwilling to work together and about to go to a tournament where Outworld's fate is to be determined." Evie sighed and leaned against the trunk of the willow and closed her eyes. "Wow. If it weren't for the fact that I've seen some crazy stuff myself, I would have said that I didn't believe you," Taven snickered. Evie threw up her hands. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do! I came here to relax, but I have to face the music eventually. I'm screwed. No,  _we're_ screwed."

Taven nodded in agreement. "I don't know what I can do to help, but I actually came here to ask for a favour." Evie looked sideways at her friend. "You see, when Daegon awoke, he believed that our parents had betrayed us. Enraged, he then captured Caro and established the Red Dragon Clan. I must stop him. I am afraid that he will only listen to someone that is close to him. I, as his brother, must do this." Evie nodded, deep in thought, and jumped up. "Wait, Daegon has sided with Raiden! I saw his Red Dragon on their base!" Taven leapt to his feet. "How is he? Is he okay?" Evie grimaced. "He's a bloodthirsty and ruthless leader. I honestly don't know if he's able to change. But for you, old friend, I'll try."

* * *

"Excuse me? Did you just say that you 'pissed off Evie and made her leave'? I know you didn't just say that. Otherwise, you'd be dead," Sonya said in a monotone voice. Johnny scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Umm, yeah. She's... not here." Sonya exploded. "OH, MY GOD. YOU HAVE ONE ORDER. I GAVE YOU ONE ORDER: LISTEN TO HER. AND WHAT DO ALL YOU DO? YOU. FUCK. UP." Only the Earthrealmmers were in the room, the Outworlders sure to receive the same treatment once Sonya had properly recovered. Sonya was absolutely livid and was about to go off on another rampage when a familiar blue light illuminated the room. Two figures fell through the portal, Evie one of them. She got up, bursting with happiness. "Hey, guys! I met an old friend when I was all pissed off and went to cool down somewhere else. This is Taven. He's Delia's daughter, and he wants to help to help correct his brother's misdeeds (his brother's that creep, Daegon, btw)."

"Hello, everyone. Evie has told me a lot about you," Taven bowed. Evie scowled. "Not good things," she added. 

"Aww. I was hoping you'd want my autograph," Johnny groaned. 

"Johnny. Do you want me to remodel your face?" Kenshi said.

* * *

"Okay, we're going to have a party," Cassie had jumped up on her table. "This is a requirement. It's to rebuild and form a bond between teammates." Evie raised her hand in the back. "I THOUGHT PARTIES WERE FOR GOOD CHILDREN." Jacqui smirked. "Well, this party's going to be different. There'll be an icebreaker portion, and then, we'll sleep together in the room." There was a lot of grumbling and protesting, but Evie interjected. "Y'all are provin' her point by arguing. I'm in agreement, and I don't care what y'all say. Whoever doesn't show up gets their asses booted out of here."

After they had eaten dinner, the four teenagers cleared up the spacious living room area and moved the furniture to the sides of the room. Evie clapped her hands. "All right! Everyone's here. I hope that they had the sense to wear their pyjamas." 

Everyone had thankfully come and were instructed to sit in a circle. Cassie cleared her throat. "Okay! Icebreakers. Everyone will say three things that no one else knows. I'll start. I have a tattoo of a rose on the lower half on my back (Mom killed me), I have dated three other boys,... and I killed Shujinko, thinking that it was Shang Tsung." She looked down in shame, receiving sympathetic looks from the others. Jacqui placed her hand on her friend's shoulder, and Cassie jolted back to reality. "Alright. Evie, how about you go?" Evie, who was sharpening her extended starmetal claws, looked up in surprise. "Me? Umm," she stopped hesitantly. Delia shook her head. "If you're comfortable. We're not pressuring you."

Evie shrugged and sighed. "Fine. We're all going to die, anyway. For those of you who were staring at my butt before (I know you were), I killed my father, became part of an assassin clan, and therefore know multiple martial art form. I also have alternate personalities, which you have already met. I also have a puppy, which you have also seen. She's actually a direwolf, which is my namesake. Umm... " She looked at the ceiling. "I have not dated anyone because I haven't had the time. I am an Elemental, and can only be killed with a starmetal blade, which is what my bones and forearms are made of. So, yeah. That's me." She leaned back, content.

"Umm... that was more than three things," Takeda stuttered. There was an uncomfortable silence. Evie raised her brow. "Really? That's your first reaction to what I said? Not, 'Oh, my god, you killed your father?' Or what about, 'What the fuck is an Elemental?' "

"I mean, I'm pretty sure we were all thinking of that," Kung Lao hesitantly said. Taven said, "Evie's parents were King Abaddon and Queen Penelope, King and Queen of the Heavens. Only Titans were pure-blooded royalty of the gods. Her father was ruthless in his rule, and they were all eventually thrown from Heaven. Her father was known to be abusive to her, and he had even killed Evie's mother long before. Evie finally killed him, and then my family found her." Delia nodded. "We were passing on the Earth, admiring the land decades later, when we met her. I had known that she was hurt by a close relative, due to the mental issues she had ("Excuse me?" Evie interrupted). Her behaviours were so erratic that she developed split personalities. Argus and I decided to stay on Earth and we raised her as our own child, but she knew that she was different. Eventually, Argus and I left to the Heavens again, when Taven and Daegon were entombed. And Evie was left on her own again."

"Speaking of which, have you got your medallion back?" Taven asked. Evie shrugged. "At times. I'm still restricted from holding it because even the Elder Gods are afraid of letting me run around at full strength, you know? Can't blame them, though. Dad really left a bad name for us Titans. I'm just trying to undo it." Taven snorted. "By acting human. You're afraid of your powers, Evie. If you let yourself loose, you can do anything. You are the only thing holding yourself back." Evie glared. "Did I ask you, genius?"

"Let's calm down now," Kenshi chided. "Okay, fine," Evie groaned, not willing to let the argument go. "Hanzo, why don't you go now?"

* * *

"Just to let you know, I'm not sleeping next to anyone who's married. It's just too weird for me to handle."

"Whatever. Just shut up and let me sleep," Tomas groaned. He had dealed with too much drama the past few hours. "Yeah, but it's so uncomfortable for me to, you know, do that. Includes exes, too. Although Sonya's still in the infirmary, so I guess it doesn't matter," Evie said as she laid down on her makeshift bed. Cassie groaned. "Evie, has there ever been a point in your life where you were ever able to not talk?" There was a silence.

"Nope."


	11. Training Again (with sparring, finally!)

"Alright, ladies! Wake up. I don't want to see any slackers. Heads up, now. Let's see this," Evie muttered the last part. Sonya had not yet been able to recover due to the Jinsei essence that Fujin had spared for her recovery, and was not with the others as Evie inspected the fighters. In addition to her absence, Sindel was still recovering her own strength in the infirmary. "Well, at least everyone here is a child mentally, not physically," she muttered. "Although, the use of projectiles is a problem. Especially guns. I'm worried about that." She stood still, staring at the group (Erron glaring in the back). "ALRIGHT. Here's the deal. When I had visited the Elder Gods in the conference, and you were all busy fighting the wrong people, I wasn't able to tell you guys about it. Basically, Ermac is being held hostage, forcing the release of Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn. In Raiden's ranks, he has Frost, Daegon, Kano, Goro, Jarek, Tremor, D'Vorah, and other Black Dragon or Red Dragon thugs that aren't really important nor crucial in the Mortal Kombat timeline."

"Uhh..."

"Ignore that last part. In addition to this, I believe that Raiden intends to extract Shao Kahn and resurrect him. All I'm saying is that this is probably going to be easy against certain people, and harder against others. So, let's start simple. Sparring. I'll see Earthrealm's champion first," she stated, beckoning towards Liu Kang. He squeezed Kitana's hand while the other kombatants walked to the sides of the square mat. "Rules are simple. You can use anything in the room, but your feet have to touch the mat. If you step out of the mat, you are disqualified. You shouldn't hold back, understood? I need a proper evaluation of everyone's skills, okay?" 

Liu Kang nodded, and the two walked to opposite corners of the mat, getting into their fighting stances. After a few seconds, Evie lunged forward, poking at her opponent. He instinctively jabbed outwards, but Evie had anticipated this and had leapt back in a somersault, launching a fireball at her opponent. Liu ducked under the flames and retaliated with a flying kick, but Evie blocked it and pushed him back. Undeterred, he rapidly punched her, a few blows landing, but the others were ineffective. She spun horizontally, connecting her feet on his face. He was sent flying backwards but landed on his feet. He then kept his distance from the female, launching fireballs that landed in unpredictable places. Eventually, the two came to a stop once Evie held up her hand. 

"You're definitely skilled in attack, but you lack some knowledge of defensive maneuvres. In the end, I want everyone to be able to punish every hit that an enemy lands on you. A simple method would be to grab the enemy's arm or leg that they tried to hit you with. Instead of blocking the strike with your forearms or trying to dodge the blow, grab the limb, and throw them as far away from you as you can. There, gauge the situation. Think of SIR. Surroundings, interactables, and recovery. Check your surroundings. How far away is the wall against your back? What are possible angles you can use for your next attack? Then, think of interactables. Something you can use in a fight to gain the upper hand. Remember, the enemy won't play nice, so neither should you. Finally, recovery. Constantly keep an eye on your opponent's recovery, but also remember to recover YOURSELF. You don't want to rush in again while exhausted. You'll die." She pointed suddenly at Johnny sitting in the back. "You're up, hotshot."

* * *

 Johnny yelped in surprise as he ducked under a sudden high kick that would have connected with his face. He struck Evie's other leg, and she fell on her back, but rolled backwards, getting on her feet instantaneously. She then threw a sphere of water at him, forcing him to dodge the object. However, he was concentrating on the water and failed to notice Evie rushing at him until it was too late. He received a sharp blow in the ribs (nothing too serious to injure him), and he gasped as the breath was knocked out of him as he fell to the floor, landing on his back. Evie then stepped on his chest, smirking the entire time. "I think that you're enjoying this too much," he shook his head. Evie cocked her head innocently. "Why would I enjoy putting your ass on the ground, Johnny?"

He chuckled as she helped him up to his feet. "You have an excellent form that's easy to teach, but you're too brash and rush into situations that even I would question running into. Staying in a stationary position and lobbing those energy balls would be a better strategy. Then, if somehow the enemy gets too close, you can punch them until they retreat." Johnny whined like a little kid. "Why do you have to be so mean?" Evie smirked, tripping him as he exited the mat.

Eventually, everyone had sparred against Evie and were all exhausted. She took that moment to allow everyone to leave, and the kombatants left to go the cafeteria to eat, but she intercepted Sub-Zero at that moment. "Hey, Grandmaster. Can we talk?" He turned around and faced the shorter person. "Is something wrong?" he frowned. 

Evie sighed. "Look, I'm going to be honest and straightforward with you. When I listed off the people that Raiden had enlisted into his group, I left out one person in particular. I wanted to know if you were okay with what I'm going to say, and from there, you can decide to tell the others." She held up a finger to stop Kuai's question that he was about to utter. "While in the Netherrealm, I delved into the archives and looked to see what I could find. I wanted to see who Raiden might have asked secretly to help him in the tournament. I then came across a very interesting person described in Quan Chi's notes. Someone named Noob Saibot?"

Kuai froze at hearing the wraith's name. "What are you saying?"

"It was there where I had my suspicions. Noob Saibot was interested in conquering the Netherrealm, and Quan Chi suspected Noob to turn against him. Raiden, if he wanted, could offer his support in helping Noob with taking over the Netherrealm. However, I found my thoughts to be proven correct when I went to retrieve Sonya from Raiden..."

* * *

  _Evie had first teleported and found herself in the woods, Midnight and Lumina contained in her head. She scanned her surroundings and caught sight of the Lotus Temple. Smirking in satisfaction, she nodded to herself as she headed to get closer before teleporting again._

_However, her senses and gut notified her that something was wrong, and she fell to the ground covered in snow as a black figure sailed over her head. She scrambled to get back on her feet, drawing her sword in a swift and smooth manner. "I've heard stories about you, wraith," she snarled. The figure stood up, but Evie soon took her concentration off of him as she sliced through an inky shadow-like figure that was about to tackle her from behind. Then, without turning, she held her hand up at the wraith who was rushing at her, freezing his movements. Still holding her hand in its stationary position, she slowly stood up and turned her head to face the dark-clothed being._

_"Noob Saibot. How high you once were, and yet, look how far you've fallen," she mocked. "And what concerns do you have for me?" he snapped, in his deep yet monotonous voice. Evie shrugged. "You're with the one being that I'm supposed to hate, so we're on opposite ends of the spectrum right now." She leaned in closer to him, staring into his eyes. She smirked. "You have his eyes, you know." The wraith scowled at her. "What are you talking about?" he growled angrily. Evie's smirk grew bigger. "You have the same eyes as your brother's. Kuai Liang's." She threw him into a tree, and he slid to the ground, losing consciousness. He could still hear his interrogater speaking. "He still cares about you. You let him down. Now, I wonder, can you truly finish the job you started years ago when you face him in the tournament?"_

_She left him there in the snow as Noob's eyes slowly closed._

* * *

 

 "You didn't have to do that," Kuai said. Evie shook her head. "You want to know how I became close with Sonya and Johnny? They were in a little crisis at the time. You see, Sonya was tired of Johnny's actor stuff and his playboyish attitude, and she just wanted to be loved, but she wasn't aware of it at the time. Johnny didn't understand why Sonya was so angry at him (the goddamned idiot), so I spoke to the both of them. They had brought me into their family, so they listened to me. I follow a strict list of procedures for about everything, and this was no exception. I first guilt-tripped them so that they could listen to me. Then, I convinced them that they could talk to each other. Finally, I put them in a room so they could talk it out, and they came out of that broom closet I shoved them into happy. As of right now, I set your brother on the guilt part. As we head into the tournament, you are free to talk to him. If he avoids you, I'll stuff the two of you in a closet too. Don't worry."

Kuai frowned uncertainly, due to the words she had said, but she chuckled at his expression. "You're cute when you're all flustered," she snickered. His face felt like it was igniting. "W-what?"

She laughed again but didn't elaborate as she left the room, leaving him in the room alone. Kuai sighed and linked his hands on the back of his neck. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Get yourself back together. What would Bi-Han say?" he muttered to himself. Then, Kuai felt someone tap his shoulder from behind, and he spun around, Kori Blade drawn and at the person's neck.

Hanzo Hassashi stood there in slight shock, hands raised in the air. The two stood there, Kuai's sword inches from the other's throat. Then, Kuai recovered himself as he lowered the sword. He hadn't disposed of it yet, not when the Shirai Ryu was here. "What do you want,  _Scorpion_?" The other man rubbed a hand on his throat. "I wanted to apologize. Formally. I know that what I did was wrong, and I'm sorry for playing a part in the destruction of your clan." Sub-Zero sighed. He didn't want to deal with this now. "I forgive you, Hanzo. I really do." Hanzo frowned. "You seem troubled. What is wrong?" Kuai knew that if Scorpion found out that Bi-Han was alive, the consequences would not be good. He kept his mouth shut, not daring to say anything as he tried to come up with a suitable answer. 

"It's about Saibot, isn't it?"

Kuai glanced at the Shirai Ryu, anxious on his reaction. He nodded slowly, trying to not reveal anything. Scorpion sighed. "And here we have another misfortune of my actions," he muttered to himself. Kuai stared at him as Hanzo looked at him in the eyes. "Kuai Liang. I feel like I have been the only one that has ever caused you pain. I knew of your brother's fate when Raiden told me after I was free from Quan Chi. I was waiting for you to build up the courage so that you would eventually be able to tell me yourself, but with the attack on Outworld and the Lin Kuei, I forgot about my hand in your suffering. It was as if we were enemies again, and I treated you as such. I met him again when I joined Raiden. I am not asking you to forgive me. I just want you to understand. I truly am sorry for killing your brother. I'm sorry for the pain I inflicted on you in our fights. And I am sorry for killing your clan."

Kuai sighed and placed his hand on Hanzo's shoulder. "And as I said, I forgive you. I just have a lot on my mind, right now." Hanzo nodded in understanding.

"Look at them. Next thing you know, they'll be all over each other and making out," Johnny snickered. He yelped as he ducked under an iceball and fireball, Smoke snickering beside the actor. "Hey! Want to join us? I was going to show Johnny something." Hanzo seemed intrigued, but Kuai knew better. After all, was this not the same person that told him when they were younger that if Kuai jumped into a well, there would be a pile of gold at the bottom? If there was one thing he knew, it was that Tomas knew nothing other than mischief and trouble. "What. Thing?" he asked through painfully gritted teeth.

* * *

 

"Isn't this awesome?!"

The four stepped into a huge room. It was a bedroom, with detailing patterns that clearly demonstrated that the previous owner had painted them on the walls. There was a picture of a family on the nightstand next to the bed, along with a letter and a gold locket. The closet bore no possessions, and the room also had its own mini-kitchen and a huge bathroom. Smoke grinned. "Why weren't we given this?" Johnny shrugged. "Don't know." He traced the markings on the wall, stopping for one of the few moments in his life. "These look familiar. Can't remember where I've seen them," he mused out loud. Kuai was examining the room, and he stepped out onto the adjoining balcony attached to the bedroom. He received a clear view of the back of the entire building. Thanks to the height of the room's location, he could see the forest out for miles, with a huge mountain in the background.

Hanzo walked over to the nightstand and held up the picture. He sat on the bed, staring at the photograph in his hands. "I've never seen her smile before," he whispered.

"What?" Johnny went to examine Hanzo's discovery, as did the others. They all examined the picture, Hanzo sitting still. "That is the royal family of the Heavens. The man is King Abaddon, our father. Beside him is Evie's mother, Queen Penelope. She died a year after Evie was born, due to murder. The eldest daughter is Eleanor of the Dragon. Then Emma of the Serpent, and Elise of the Phoenix. And that little girl, smiling and sitting on the grass is Evangelina. Evie of the Direwolf. Goddesses of the North, West, East, and South, respectively." He sighed. "When they all died because of the crazed king, and after Evie killed him, their powers were passed to her, because she was the last one of the bloodline. I was also there, but I never witnessed Abaddon's death. I had never known my mother. Evie helped me escape, but as a consequence, she couldn't come with me. Only one person was allowed to leave. That was the curse that she placed on the land so that our father couldn't come after me."

He picked up the locket and opened it. "Years later, after I had become Scorpion, I met a girl named Hikari in the tournament. I was about to kill the man that she was to be engaged to, but she intervened and attempted to stop me. I ended up killing the both of them. And then, someone came and defeated me in kombat. It was Evie. The girl, Hikari, was her daughter. She screamed at first because she had lost her husband, and now her daughter. She promised that she wouldn't kill me, but that she would make every aspect of my life miserable. She said that she vowed to make me wish that I could die. I never saw her again until Raiden and I tried to recruit her." Johnny whistled. "So, that's why the direwolf's name is Hikari, I guess." He reached out for the letter.

"PUT. THAT. DOWN."

The four jumped up and turned around to see Evie in the doorway, her multi-coloured eyes blurry and a furious look on her face. She had her hands behind her back. "Uh, hi! Evie. Yeah, we were um, just about to leave," Johnny stuttered. "What are you doing here?" Evie glared at him. "I don't know, Johnny. Why wouldn't I be in my own bedroom?" He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Evie turned to face the others. Upon seeing her half-brother, she grimaced. "Scorpion. Get the fuck out of here," she spat. He held up his hands in a placating manner. "Evie, I'm sorry. I really am..."

Her hands came out from behind her back and she stabbed the wall with the large knife she had concealed. "SORRY?! SORRY DOESN'T BRING BACK PEOPLE FROM THE DEAD, ASSHAT! IF YOU'RE  ** _SO_** SORRY, GO AND TELL MY DEAD DAUGHTER IN HER GRAVE THAT YOU'RE SORRY!!!" She yanked the knife from the wall and threw it at his head. He ducked quickly and stared at her. Black smoke was starting to rise from her body and her eyes were starting to fill with pitch black. Upon noticing this, she closed her eyes, breathing heavily to calm herself down. When she opened her eyes again, the smoke disappeared and her eyes were normal again. "Just get out, Hanzo," she said, looking exhausted.

* * *

 

"That was a really beautiful thing you showed us, Tomas. Really inspiring."

"Shut. Up. Kuai."


	12. Venting Out Frustration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad days can turn into good ones. This is a well-known fact, and Evie uses this knowledge to relax.
> 
> She just needs to punch something.

The first feeling that Evie experienced when she walked into her room was shock. 

She was not counting on having her old room looking just as it had looked like some ten, twenty years ago. She remembered every detail vividly, and the memories became fresh on her mind as she examined the ancient texts she drew on the walls, the stunning view outside, and the small table beside her bed that she had trouble approaching. It held memories that she was not able to. Carried the pain that she had tried to get rid of her entire life. It was all a shock when she experienced the deja vu that engulfed her. 

Then, she was shocked by the people that were going through her personal stuff.

At least, she experienced that for a split second before she was overcome with anger and fear. Midnight slowly and unconsciously began to take over, without her realizing it. When she had expelled the others from the room, she slammed the door behind them, and slowly crumbled down to the floor in exhaustion and sadness. She then covered her face and began to sob uncontrollably. Silently. So no one could hear their so-called "leader" breaking down for once. She sniffled and wiped her eyes as she felt something soft rub against the side of her left leg. She looked down to see the direwolf pup that she named after her deceased daughter. She gently pushed the adorable ball of fluff away. "Hikari, not now."

The innocent creature lay on the floor, head laying on its paws. Hikari then looked up at her owner, those icy-blue eyes piercing through Evie's soul. Evie was forced to look down at the puppy. The furball then opened its jaws. "Mew!"

Evie stared at her pet, incredulous. Still, red-eyed from crying, she giggled, head tilting back as she eventually erupted into laughter. Still chuckling, she messed up the wolf's fur fondly, shaking her head. "Leave it to you to get me to laugh by meowing like a cat," she snorted. She eventually fell silent and leaned back, head resting against the door. "Sometimes, I wonder what life would have been like for me if I had not opened that book. I probably would have ruled the Heavens. My family would still be alive." She fell silent again, mulling things over. "But then," she whispered, "I wouldn't have ever met Sonya, Johnny, Kenshi, Jax, and everyone else that has cared about me. I have to help them. No matter what happens, I can't get lost in the past. I have to ground myself right here."

* * *

 

It was well into the night when Evie emerged from her room. She wasn't hungry (she could spend decades without supplements), but instead went to the training room, Hikari in tow. She had the pup sit outside the general area and went to stretch out. Evie plugged in earphones and blasted the music as she practised punching a virtual enemy created by the room itself. She dodged and blocked blows, sometimes catching them and throwing the projection away from her, then continued to block the punches. As she avoided the easy and predictable shots, Evie thought about what had happened earlier that day.

**_"SORRY?! SORRY DOESN'T BRING BACK PEOPLE FROM THE DEAD, ASSHAT! IF YOU'RE SO SORRY, GO AND TELL MY DEAD DAUGHTER IN HER GRAVE THAT YOU'RE SORRY!!!"_ **

And while she had felt guilty for letting her anger loose like that, she knew that she was justified in her anger. They had broken into her room and rummaged through her personal belongings. Then, Hanzo chose that moment, when she was pissed off, to apologize. Yeah, she probably should have let bygones be bygones and accept the apology, but she couldn't think straight. She was... afraid. She knew that they found the picture and locket. At least they didn't read the letter.

* * *

_Dear Evangelina,_

_I am so sorry. If you are reading this, then it means that I am dead, and you have not gotten the chance to know me at all. I want you to know that I love you with all my heart, and will always be watching over you._

_I can still remember the moment when I first held you in my arms. I marvelled at how small you were. Abaddon was irritated with your size; you were the smallest child after all. He wanted to get rid of you, but I knew that you, my sweet angel, would bring about great changes. You would shape worlds. Create life. You would see the beauty in the darkest things. You were my little girl. My precious little daughter._

_You do not know this, but when I was alive, I was gifted with the ability to gaze into the future. I could see the monster that my husband, your father, would eventually become. In my love and devotion to him, I thought that I could change him; shape him to change the future. But alas, it was not to be. I died to my sickness years later, and I could only watch in vain as you opened the Book of Life and banished you and the family to this "Earth". I sobbed as I watched you suffer at Abaddon's hands, the love of my life. And I watched with pride and sadness as you broke free. I do not blame you for doing what you had to do to escape from his hands. I only wish that it wouldn't have turned out to be like this._

_I must also discuss the issues and mysteries surrounding the family. Our family. You see, when a person in our bloodline passes away, the deceased person's powers become transferred to the next eldest person in the family, and so on. So, I am sure that you have already figured this out by now, but you now have the powers of the entire Emerilla family. You were never meant to receive them at a young age, but unfortunately, the future is hard to change._

_You will struggle. You will go through trials and other obstacles. People will shun you. They will throw harmful words at you. But you will find peace, in the end._

_You are my little angel. My strong and fierce demon. You belong to no single side, but define the balance between the two. No matter what happens, I will always love you._

_And if you find that you meet your demise early on, I will be waiting for you with open arms._

_With love,_

_Your Mother, Queen Penelope_

* * *

The letter was too personal for Evie to be comfortable sharing it with others. She angrily attacked the dummy, no longer defensively blocking the hits. She took out her anger on it, thinking of her father's face, Hanzo's face, and anyone else that caused her pain. Sometimes, when times got really dark, she imagined punching and beating herself up, but she was past those times. With a yell of anger, she sliced the dummy's head off and watched as it tumbled to the floor. She lifted her hands and retracted the starmetal claws, satisfied for the moment.

Sighing and rubbing her face, she sat down on the floor, laying down. Hikari slowly approached her and nuzzled into her neck. Evie giggled at the tickling sensation. "Least I've got you, girl." She drew in the puppy and hugged it softly as to not suffocate it. Her eyes blurred again. "Please don't... please don't leave me alone. Promise?"

* * *

"What did you do, now?" Kenshi sighed. Johnny shuffled and scratched the back of his neck nervously, while Tomas fiddled with his hands. Hanzo looked lost in thought, and Kuai was standing in the back of the room, arms crossed in a scolding manner and a scowl on his face. "Yeah, Tomas. What did you do?" The grey ninja glared at his longtime friend, still nervous. He turned to Sonya, who had now arched one of her eyebrows in an interrogating pose. He coughed nervously. "So, um, I found this awesome room that looked like a hotel suite, and I wanted to show these guys. Turns out that it was Evie's room." Sonya frowned. "How did you break into her room?" 

"It was unlocked."

There was an ugly silence. "You mean Evie's OLD room?"

The men all traded looks. "What do you mean, 'old'?" Johnny asked, confused. Jax facepalmed. "You, of all the people here Johnny, should remember that. Let me guess. You messed with the stuff on the nightstand?" At their confirming nods, Sonya let out a noise of anger. "You're really lucky she didn't kill you. When she first came to the base, she killed five of our soldiers before I stopped her. They all touched her stuff without her permission. The markings on the wall are runes that symbolize pain, and the ascension of climbing from the bottom to the top. When I tried to convince Evie to move on, she took that to heart. She saw me as an older sister. She drew those runes and left the room. She never had to go in there again. I asked her today to get the old mission reports so we could examine them together. She must have left them in the room, which may explain why she went back there in the first place."

Kenshi cleared his throat. "We should have them apologize to her in the morning. About everything and anything they have to apologize for." He cast a meaningful look towards Hanzo, who nodded slightly in thanks to the blind swordsman. Sonya nodded. "That's fine with me. Whether it's okay with Evie is a whole other story. Now, get out-"

"General. The reports you asked for?"

Evie stood at the open doorframe, face set in a frozen and uncomfortable position. Sonya nodded after a few minutes. The last time Evie had ever referred to her as "General"... it was probably best to leave closed doors closed. "I'll take those, Evie. Thank you." Evie stiffly walked to the desk and handed the papers to Sonya. The Special Forces woman frowned. The motion was harsh and cold. Evie then turned around 180 degrees and walked right out, almost as if nothing had happened. Sonya slammed the papers on the desk. "Fuck," she muttered. Jax shook his head. "We did so much to get her out of her comfort shell, and now, she's retreating back into it. You know we have to do something." Kenshi sighed. "I've always got to pick up and fix everyone else's mistakes. When will anyone help ME?" he complained.

* * *

 

The next morning, Cassie could tell something was off. 

The atmosphere seemed colder, and it was somehow harder to breathe comfortably, which was very concerning. When she told Jacqui and Jin about this, they agreed with her statements. Takeda refused to say anything, which was also bad news. She suspected that he already knew the reason why, and when the four stepped into the cafeteria, Cassie instantly understood why. 

Sonya was talking to everyone at her table, informing them of something. Nearly everyone was at the table (it was the biggest table in the room), and the others seemed amused or worried. Erron had a smug grin on his face, as did Styker and Reptile. However, for the most part, they seemed on edge. The teenagers sat at the table, and Sonya was about to restart the conversation to fill in the newcomers when the doors opened with a bang.

In the doorframe stood Evie, dressed for kombat in her uniform. However, this suit was different, Cassie realized. It was worn out and had scratches on the plating that actually seemed intimidating on the Titan. The getup was more traditional, with strange markings on the sides of the legs and arms of the armour. Sonya sucked in a breath as soon as she saw the familiar outfit that Evie had worn when she was first accepted into the Special Forces. The Titan stormed to the counter to snatch up an apple, and she tossed it up into the air and caught it repeatedly. The ongoing motion was starting to make everyone uncomfortable until a shit-eaten grinning Erron chose to say the last thing anyone would ever want to say. 

"Stoic-faced finally lose her cool? Maybe she's not so capable after all."

There was a silence as Evie held the apple in her hand. She held it for minutes. Then, she walked over to the table, and walked around it, not looking at the occupants. She eventually stopped behind the mercenary that had made the earlier comment. She lifted the apple in her hand and smashed it on Erron's head. It connected with a solid thunk, and Sonya couldn't help but wince at the action. That was what Evie did before, alright. Erron's head started to bleed. The apple hadn't been damaged in any way. Evie slammed it onto the table, cracking the surface with the apple. It still remained intact, and Cassie recognized why. She gasped in surprise. "Is that made of rubies?" 

Evie disregarded the girl. Instead, she left the crystal apple on the table and turned to leave. She paused. "Hanzo. Kuai. Tomas. Johnny. Erron. Only those people are to report to the training room today." With that, she left the room.

* * *

 

The three all shared glances at each other. Kuai instantly walked down. Hanzo accepted his fate and stepped down, but the other three were reluctant to follow. Evie stood straight like a soldier addressing his commanding officer, hands behind her back. "I believe you know the drill by now." She turned around, back facing them, and Hanzo sighed. "Evie, I know that this isn't the best time, but I wanted to again express how sorry I really am. Hikari didn't deserve that. I was consumed by anger and hate, and I took it out on her, only fueling your own pain. This isn't because I want to get out of this punishment, but I wanted to say that I was sorry."

"And, I'll say this. I do forgive you as well. However, this is about a different matter entirely."

She spun around, throwing shuriken at the five men. Kuai and Tomas ducked on instinct, Johnny yelping in fear as he fell to the floor. Hanzo stepped to the side but was grazed by one. He winced at the feeling of the blade cutting at his skin. "You dug into things you shouldn't have. Made me relive moments I wanted to forget. This. This is why we are fighting right now." She stood still. "Well? Are we waiting for Christmas or are you actually going to fight now?"

Hanzo set his mouth in a grim line, and he threw his kunai. "GET OVER HERE!" Evie caught it midair and pulled the chain towards her. Hanzo was smart to release the kunai and allowed Evie to gain possession of it. He also noticed that her eyes were starting to blacken, which was concerning at the moment, but he only gauged it at that moment, because then, she was behind them, and he had to roll away from her. Kuai slid next to the Shirai Ryu, but Tomas received a sharp blow to the back, and Johnny a strike to his calf. Erron was defending himself from her but was being overwhelmed.

Evie continued to whale blows on Johnny and Tomas but was frozen. Kuai and Hanzo rushed to defend their "teammates" and were succeeding in subduing her. However, Evie then swept her arms, causing the surrounding people to land meters from her, carried in a black fog. Evie, who was previously on her knees, was now standing again. She was bleeding from her head, but she didn't acknowledge this. Her skin was pale, her eyes were filled with black, and she had an unnatural smile. Her teeth were cone-shaped, and her claws, made of starmetal, were as long as knives. She continued to emit a black gas substance. More disturbing were the scars that continued to bleed, but not affecting her in any way. 

"Let's play a game," it snarled. Soon, the entire area was engulfed in the smog, and when it evaporated seconds later, Tomas, Johnny, and Erron were covered in blood, slash marks on their arms, and a long line drawn on their neck. Surprisingly, Kuai and Hanzo had remained unscathed. The cuts on the neck weren't deep, but they were evident. "Like it? That's the first time my father hurt me. Dug a knife into my vocal cords. He wanted to kill me, but unfortunately, for him and me, I healed quickly. All these scars, these wounds, were the ones that Evie got, but could never truly heal from. And you just made another one."

Midnight made a motion to dash at them again, but she halted in her steps. She huffed in irritation. "Fine. I won't kill them. Yes, you can have control again." Her eyes closed and opened to reveal Evie's eyes. She took one long look at the fallen people and sighed in resignation. With a wave of her hand, the wounds healed. "Look, I forgive you. Just don't do that shit again, got it?" They all got back on their feet, Kuai and Hanzo nodding instantly in agreement, while the others did it in fear. "Why were we not hurt?" Kuai asked, hesitantly. 

"You weren't in the room because you wanted to be there. I'm a telepath; I know these things. As for Hanzo, he apologized for what he did, and I decided to trust him. I still clipped him with the shuriken, so that was for the room invasion." Evie sighed. "All that matters now is that we're even, so let's let bygones be bygones. Agreed?" 

* * *

 

"Evie."

The person in question, still in the training room, had dismissed the men, but looked up to see the Lin Kuei Grandmaster still standing on the mat. She sighed. "I'm sorry I overreacted. I just panicked when I saw you going through my stuff, and I got really angry. It's sort of a self-defence mechanism, you know?" She rubbed the back of her neck. Kuai nodded. "It's fine. I've already experienced a lot of the same stuff from Scorpion." Evie snorted. "Except he's worse." Kuai chuckled slightly. "You're right about that."

The two looked at each other, thinking about the multiple times Hanzo had lost his cool. This caused the two to laugh quietly, shaking their heads. Evie looked up and smiled genuinely. "Thanks, Kuai." She picked up her workout bag and waved goodbye as she exited the room. "See you later!"

Kuai stared as she left, shaking his head as he wondered what he did to get himself into this situation. He left the room a little later, heart pulsing a little faster than usual.

Not that he'd tell Tomas that.


	13. Disappearance

Late at night, a woman stood in front of the single door. She slowly brought up her hand holding the slightly rusted key to the keyhole, locking the room and all its possessions inside. Once she was certain that the door was locked, she reached down to retrieve the bag on the floor and stuffed something inside before she slung the bag over her shoulder and disappeared in a bright blue light.

* * *

Sonya had been the first to awaken the next morning, and when she did, she knew that something was wrong. Call it a gut feeling, it had saved her life on more than one occasion. She got out of bed and entered the cafeteria. Seeing no one there, she made her way to check the other areas of the complex, finding no one there, except for the soldiers stationed at the entrances. Feeling anxious, she waited for the others to wake up.

As the others slowly trickled into the cafeteria and greeted each other, Sonya realized the problem too late. She should have known; she was always the first one to wake up. Just to make sure, she ran to the bedrooms and knocked on a specific door. Upon receiving no answer, she knocked down the door from its hinges, and stepped inside, scanning the room. There was no one there.

* * *

Evie huffed, breath appearing in the cold air as she pulled on the rope attached to the harness, making sure it was secure. Gripping the knives she held in both hands, she readied herself as she tensed. In a sudden movement, she jumped, blades burying into the ice of the cliff, sliding down a few heartstopping inches before stilling. She buried the bottoms of her feet into the ice, using the cleats to gain footing. She slowly started to climb upwards, hand over hand, embedding the knives into the ice to boost herself up to the top. She repeated this action, sometimes taking another risky jump until she finally reached the peak of the mountain.

She stood up on solid ground, removing the goggles providing protection for her eyes. She let out another breath that became visible, the rising sun aiding the visual. She stood in awe as she took in the beautiful view of the sun rising behind other mountains nearby the one she was on. As the rays slowly trickled through, she sat on the flat peak and reached into her bag. She pulled out only a few objects; a golden chain locket, a picture frame, and an envelope. She placed the objects at her feet, sitting with her legs crossed. She went back into her bag, retrieving a matchbox and firewood. She knew that it would take a harsher flame to damage the locket, but she didn't care about the trinket. All she wanted was to get to the picture inside it. She opened the necklace and placed it beside the other objects.

Upon adding the wood to the pile, she was about to light a match when she hesitated. She took the letter from the bottom of the pile of wood, staring at the wax seal that closed the flaps. The letter, it wasn't anything linked to her pain, was it? It symbolized her rising from pain. It contained her mother's love for her. The necklace with her daughter's picture, it was too painful to look at. As for the picture, it had to go. Seeing her father, it scared her to have his face staring at her. She tucked the letter into her jacket as an afterthought and lit a match.

She wouldn't use her abilities for this personal moment.

* * *

"She had the right idea, you know."  
  
Kuai cast a sharp glare at the cop who had spoken. Once Sonya had discovered Evie's abandonment, she had called for a meeting, and so they were all sitting at the cursed table that the Lin Kuei Grandmaster despised at this point. Every time they sat here, it was because something bad had happened. Stryker had just spoken, head on the table. "What were we thinking, anyway? That we could defeat Raiden?" Johnny shook his head. "We don't need a Titan to win. Just as long as we stay hopeful, we can stop Raiden. We need to work together." Kuai disliked the idea, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that Evie had abandoned them to a fate worse than death.

* * *

Evie had already completed one of the things on her to-do list for the day. Thankfully, it was considered to be the harder of the two objectives. However, that didn't mean that this would be any less challenging.

She was in a mall and held up two dresses side by side, thinking about what would be the best choice. She was still pondering which one to purchase when she overheard two other women exclaiming and praising a party gown. Frowning in curiosity, she put the dresses back on the rack and walked over to them.

* * *

It was already late again, but Evie disregarded this. She climbed out of the limousine that she had rented for the occasion, high heels making her stand a little taller (which she was thankful for, considering she was only 5 feet tall). Her new bright red dress touched the ground, with a slit on the side that showed the skin of her leg. It exposed the intricate wolf marking that seemed to move on its own. In addition, there was also a phoenix and serpent marking on her right and left arms, respectively. She smiled glamorously as she walked into the mansion where the party was being hosted. 

She received a few confused looks as people caught sight of her markings, but for the most part, she paid them no attention. She was here for one thing. She approached the bar and requested a drink. While she waited, she pretended to scan the crowd on the dancing floor, seeming to look for a person in particular. 

"Vodka? Interesting choice."  
  
She smirked slightly. "When you feel pain at a lesser amount compared to you humans, you need something stronger to feel that little kick." She didn't look at the person to her left but continued to gaze out at the people. The bartender returned with her drink and quickly left upon noticing who was next to her. She nodded her thanks and gulped down three mouthfuls. She set the glass down and turned to the man who had spoken earlier. He was wearing a black masquerade mask, but she knew who he was. "So, why does Raiden need an infamous hacker such as Antonio Sanchez?" She took another swig of her drink.

"I think you and I know why," Saibot answered. He leaned against the countertop. "Think about it. Hacking the Special Forces base, cutting off all access to technologies. It would weaken you and your petty friends. We would have the upper hand in the tournament." Even with her heels on, Evie was still shorter than the male, and he loomed over her. "You know, those markings on you make you look very suspicious. If you are attempting to blend in, you aren't doing so well." Evie turned to him. "I'm not here for any other reason other than to have fun," she said. She turned back to the crowd.

"I know why you have the wolf, but why the bird and snake?"

She snorted. "Phoenix and serpent, to be exact. I also have a dragon circling my waist. They represent my three sisters. I received their abilities when they... passed away. The markings are symbols of my powers. A being with more than one ancestral marking is intimidating. There hasn't been another being with more than one marking. The fact that I have four, well, let's just say that it puts a big target on my back. Thankfully, no one today understands what these mean."

There was a silence between the two.

"You know, Kuai really misses you."

If the wraith reacted at all Evie missed the motion. "Why would he? He's got his own life to live." Evie shook his head. "You left him so early. He idolized you. Even today, he's always wondering what you would think of every action he does. Only he doesn't say that aloud. He even had a photo of you and Tomas with him at all times when Tomas was a revenant and you were under Quan Chi's hand." She immediately caught sight of someone, and she reached into her purse, pulling out her lipstick. "He still cares about you. When I mentioned that you were with Raiden, he just, deflated. It was almost as if the life had been sucked from him. Only you can help him now, Bi-Han."

The use of his real name caused Noob to become unfocused, and Evie pointed her lipstick at the hacker mentioned earlier. A tranq shot out, sailing over the heads of the people until the tip of the dart buried itself into the neck of the victim. She immediately disappeared into the panicking crowd, going to where the prone body of the hacker lay. She teleported, carrying the body with her. Noob Saibot, too late, teleported where Evie had been crouching seconds ago, cursing out loud for his insolence.

* * *

 

Kuai sighed in frustration as he left the room of arguing people. He had just barely managed to slip past the kombatants, but the reward was worth it. Utter quiet. He sighed again in relief as he stared outside, standing on a balcony. He forged an ice ball, lobbing it onto the ground below, forming a puddle of ice. At the same time, a lone soldier was walking on the path and didn't notice the ice until it was too late. He slipped and fell on his back. He got up quickly, staring at the ice. He slowly looked up to see Sub-Zero's slightly chagrined face staring back at him. "Watch where you throw your shit, asshole!"

Kuai quickly ducked back inside, shocked and at the same time trying to stifle his laughter. Eventually, the memories of him doing something similar with Tomas in the Lin Kuei made him collapse in laughter, despite feeling guilty. He was finally able to recover and stood up. After chuckling to himself, he suddenly heard the clacking of heels on the tiled floor. He immediately thought that it was Kitana, and looked to greet her, but saw a figure in a red dress walking to the cafeteria. 

Immediately conjuring a Kori blade, he crept silently after the figure, treating her as if she was an intruder. He took a different route to cut her off and started to run through the halls, maintaining the silent footsteps. Turning a corner, he collided with a solid body.

Both of them fell to the ground, Kuai grabbing a hold of his sword immediately, but found that it was not on the ground. Instead, he saw that it had embedded itself in the woman's gut, and the horrified feeling was only amplified when he saw the person's face, full of shock and lips in a twisted smirk of irony.

* * *

 

"Where?"

Kuai quickly walked with Evie's arm slung over his shoulder, blood still evident on her red dress. She was struggling to breathe but pointed to her room. Kuai helped her place her hand on the scanner, identifying it was her. The door opened, and he helped her to the bed. "First aid is in the bathroom. Sink cabinet," she gasped. Kuai quickly left her and retrieved the white box, placing it on the bed next to her. She grabbed a knife on her bedstand (just in case) and sliced the dress, cutting it open around her gut, but still keeping the other parts of her body clothed. Kuai instantly took notice of her markings that had been exposed. Usually, Evie was seen wearing clothes that covered her arms. It was a surprise, to say the least.

Evie hissed as she drove the needle through her skin, stitching up the wound. She requested a towel drenched in water, and Kuai went to retrieve the objects. She placed the towel over her midsection and removed it minutes later. She got the scissors from the first aid kit and cut the stitches, much to Kuai's concern. "What are you doing?" She stopped him and showed that the wound had healed completely. "My wounds heal quickly, but during that time, I'm susceptible to blood loss. I'm fine." Kuai sighed in relief. "I'm sorry, for you know." Evie waved him off. "It's fine, really."

Kuai frowned. "Where were you?" She looked at him in confusion. "Why do you want to know?" 

"Maybe because the entire group was concerned that you had abandoned us? I knew that you wouldn't do that, but I thought that maybe you had been captured or something! We were all worried about your safety! Where were you?!" Evie looked at him before sighing in relent. "I had to take care of some personal stuff. I... I burned the locket and picture. This morning. I climbed a mountain and when I reached the top, I watched as the sun rose, and I lit the fire." She drew out the letter from her purse. "This is the same letter on the nightstand in that other room. I'm giving this to you because you're one of the few people that I can actually trust here. Sonya and Johnny would open it immediately. I want you to open this at a specific time. You'll know when the time comes. Then, you're free to tell anyone else. Okay?"

He nodded, folding and tucking the letter into his pocket. "After that, I got this dress and went to a party. I saw your brother. Raiden wanted him to abduct a hacker. Antonio Sanchez. He wanted him to hack into Special Forces. Cut off access to technology. I got him out of there after distracting Bi-Han, placing him in our containment cells below. He's a criminal, after all." Kuai nodded and stared at his hands upon the mention of his brother. "You know, he really misses you, too." Kuai chucked dryly. "That's not the impression he presented to me." Evie shook her head. "I think I got to his head. Talked about how much you looked up to him; still look up to him. I think I also hit a nerve when I called him by his real name." She placed a hand on Kuai's leg. "Just give it time, Kuai. He'll come around. I'm certain of it."

There was silence between the two until Evie spoke up again. "Get out while I change. Then, you can help me explain what happened today to the others. Sounded like they were pissed from what you said earlier."

* * *

 

After much deserved scolding from the others, Evie was eventually praised for stopping Raiden from getting his hands on the hacker. She apologized for leaving without an explanation, promising that she would leave a note next time. Taven smirked. "So, how did you run into Evie, Kuai?" The Lin Kuei coughed nervously. "Umm, actually, I stepped out of the room to get some fresh air and stood on a balcony. I threw an iceball to the ground, and a sentry passing by slipped on the ice." Tomas and several others cracked up laughing at his friend's expense. Sonya tried to hide a smile, while Hanzo stared at the other Grandmaster, disbelief etched on his face. 

Johnny recovered, and asked, "Wait, so what happened?" 

"The guy looked up at me, and called me an asshole, so I quickly closed the doors. I then noticed Evie wearing the dress she wore to the party, and thought that it was an intruder. I ran to cut her off and collided with her. I had my ice blade out, and it had embedded itself into her stomach." Evie interrupted. "Then, I healed myself, so there's no harm done." She cast a meaningful look to Hanzo, who was about to say something. 

After more friendly chatting, they all departed and headed off to sleep.

* * *

 

Kuai and Evie were walking down the halls together, Kuai again apologizing for his actions, and Evie disregarding them. They eventually came to Evie's room, and they departed with goodbyes. Kuai was heading to his room, located in a connecting hallway with a circular room where multiple other corridors branched off from it. He was walking into this room when he felt a shift in the air. 

Ducking instantly, he dodged a flying kick from a shadowy figure. He stood up, readying himself for a fight. "Noob Saibot." The wraith stood up as well. "Sub-Zero," he said in a mocking tone. Kuai frowned. "What are you doing here?" Noob summoned a clone. "I met your friend with the red dress today. She was really cute. I might have some fun with her after I'm done with you." The air grew colder at the mention of Evie. "Touch her, and I'll kill you without a second thought. I don't even care if you are my brother. You will not harm her." Noob snickered. "Getting soft, I see. You're an idiot. I can't believe you aren't fucking her right now."

"WHAT?!"

"Shut up, you'll wake up everyone, Kuai Liang. And I meant it. You are in head-over-heels with her. The fact that you aren't sleeping next to her right now is unbelievable." Kuai narrowed his eyes. "What I do is none of your concern. You made that clear already." He sliced the dashing shadow clone with his sword, only to get kicked down in the process by Noob. The shadow wraith teleported away, Kuai getting back on his feet in anger. "Too cowardly to fight honorably? One against one? No, Bi-Han. It is you that has changed." The wraith paid him no attention.

He held a photograph of his younger self, along with Kuai and Tomas grinning like idiots beside him. Kuai faltered when he saw what Bi-Han had in his hands. "You... give it back."

Noob Saibot wasn't listening to him. "She was right," he muttered. Kuai glowered. "Give. It. Back!" He encased himself in ice and teleported behind Bi-Han, knocking him down using the same move that had been used on him before. He snatched the picture, shoving it back into its proper location. "Teleporting? Interesting. I don't think you were able to do this before." Kuai spat. "There's a lot of things that I've learned in your absence. Whenever you left on your stupid missions. Pleasing the Grandmaster. I know you hated him as Tomas and I did, but you were too afraid to stand up to him. I may not have surpassed you in skill, but I make up for it in the most basic human necessity. Emotion."

Bi-Han chuckled. "Emotions make you weak." Kuai shook his head. "Emotions determine the flow of a fight. Anger fuels strength. Courage boosts confidence. Love builds a force that can not be defeated. The urge to protect those you care for. Tell me, did you ever think of coming back to me when you fought in the Lin Kuei?"

"Yes."

Kuai looked up in surprise. "More than anything. I was afraid that I wouldn't return and help you keep out of trouble. Afraid that if I died, you would seek revenge and die in the process. That's why I shut my emotions out. Because they were a distraction. When I saw you take down Scorpion, I was filled with a sense of pride. No, Kuai. You are not a disappoint to me." Kuai was trying to blink out tears. He lowered his defenses, not caring if he was attacked.

"WHO THE FUCK. IS FIGHTING RIGHT NOW?!!!"

Evie barged out and saw the two brothers. She had an expression full of hatred and anger, but upon seeing the two, she stood there in shock. "Oh. Sorry," she whispered.

Noob snorted. "I'll take this as a sign to leave." He was about to depart but was stopped by Kuai. "Where will you go? Stay with us. Give the others the chance to trust you by helping us in the tournament, Bi-Han. Afterward, you can come back to the Lin Kuei." The shadow shook his head. "I am bound to the Netherrealm. I cannot truly leave, Kuai."  
  
"Would you?"

The two men looked at Evie in her pajamas. "Would you help us? If you promise to help us, I can restore your human form. I can't guarantee that you'll be completely yourself. You will obtain your human self, but I can't give you back your cryomancer powers. You'll be Bi-Han, free from the Netherrealm, but with your current powers." Kuai glanced at his brother from the corner of his eye, awaiting his inevitable refusal.

"Sure."

Kuai stared in shock. "Great! I'll get everything ready so that we can properly introduce you to the others in the morning!" Evie chirped. She left to gather the materials needed for the process. After a few seconds, Bi-Han spoke. "Am I making a mistake?" Kuai thought about what had just transpired the last few hours. "I am happy that you chose to free yourself and will join us. However, I must warn you that our team is, as Evie puts it, a 'dysfunctional train wreck'."


	14. News From the Other Side

Noob Saibot had not reported to Raiden.

The thunder god was pacing impatiently, mulling over possible outcomes that might have happened to the wraith. Had he failed and was too scared to return? Perhaps he was out for relaxation. But that was unlikely. Raiden stood still, eyes narrowing in suspicion and stormed off to the Jinsei Chamber. If he was correct in his presumption, he was going to need the energy boost for the journey.

* * *

 The man's eyes opened, everything appearing blurry and unfocused. He groaned as he struggled to sit upright, but was aided by two other anxious people nearby. "- you alright?" a distorted voice sounded in concern. He closed his eyes again, nodding his head. "I think so." He opened his eyes again, and the world was crystal clear again. Kuai Liang sat at Bi-Han's feet, a worried expression decorating his face, while Evie activated a flashlight and annoyingly shone it in his adjusting eyes. "Stop that!" he snapped in irritation, but Evie was unrelenting. Finally, she nodded once she was satisfied, allowing Kuai to help Bi-Han stand up.

It was still night outside, the moon shining brilliantly through the single stained-glass window. Bi-Han shook Kuai off, standing by himself for the time being. He shakily tried to walk, finding the task easier to do after repeating it. He looked up. "What are you laughing at?" he scowled. Kuai had a smile on his face and looked at his brother in confusion. "I wasn't," he replied. Evie, on the other hand, covered her mouth with one hand, trying to smother her smirk. "Nothing. It's just amazing to see you this... vulnerable," she stated. Bi-Han scoffed, choosing to ignore her comment. "Should we show him around the complex?" Kuai had pulled Evie away from his brother (still getting used to his body) and was whispering under his breath. Evie nodded. "That would be fine. He's not going back to Raiden, that's for sure. I'm positive that he won't betray us." Kuai's questioning look caused her to glare at him. "Okay, more like eighty percent sure, but I'm fine with that. Besides, if he does betray us and stab you in the back, I'll kill him for you."

"I can hear you, you know!"

* * *

The three walked outside, presenting Bi-Han with the outside pathways that led to the equipment shed and hangar. The trio was walking in a courtyard, coincidentally, the same one that Kuai and Hanzo had fought in. Evie unhelpfully brought this up, causing Bi-Han to freeze. "Oh, shit. Umm, yeah. Hanzo is with us as well, Bi-Han." Kuai placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Again, if you don't want to be here, at least wait at the Lin Kuei Temple. Raiden's attack didn't destroy the building, so you'll be safe there." The former wraith shook his head. "No place on the earth is safe for me. Raiden is undoubtedly searching for his missing lackey. No, I will stay and push all misgivings aside."

"Funny you should mention that, Saibot."  
  
The three whirled around to see the dreaded thunder god, surrounded by tendrils of electricity. His glowing ruby eyes shone ominously in the darkness as he stared down the three standing before him. "What are you doing here, Raiden? Aren't you busy preparing everyone for the tournament? There are only ten days left before we need to leave." He scowled at the Titan. "You play a dangerous game, defying the gods. Fortunately, I've been doing the same." Evie narrowed her eyes. "I'm here on my own terms. If it means that I am sent to Tartarus in the end, so be it. Enough of that. What had you done?" Raiden smirked. "I've only spoken to your family. Particularly a very imposing person with tremendous power and a thirst for blood."  
  
Evie's eyes widened in dread. "You wouldn't. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into." Raiden snarled. "We made a bargain. He helps me in the tournament, and he gets to kill you himself." Evie stood straighter. "I think that you'll find that if you continue down this path, there won't be a single realm for you to 'protect'. Abaddon is hellbent on destroying Earth, not purifying it. You must be insane to think that he'll support you're cause." This caused Raiden to falter slightly, and Evie took this chance to run at him and punch the god in the face. While he was winded, Evie shouted desperately, "I'll hold him off. Both of you, get help!" She yelped as she ducked under a fist crackling with lightning and retaliated with an uppercut. She was playing a very dangerous game, fighting a god without any weapons.

Kuai ran off, Bi-Han on his heels, into the building. Thunder clouds formed over the sky, covering the moon. Kuai banged on every door he saw, shouting that help was needed, but no one answered. It was the middle of the night, and everyone was in a deep sleep. Bi-Han kicked down Evie's bedroom door, retrieving Archangel. Kuai continued to bang on the doors, and suddenly, a distant door opened. "What the hell is going on?" Tomas rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Bi-Han nodded. "He'll do for now." Smoke's eyes widened in realization. "Wait. Bi-Han?" The shadow wraith grabbed the stunned enenra's hand. "Look, we'll explain everything later. We just need to help Evie, okay?"  
  
In the opposite corridor, another door was slammed open with an angry force. "For the last time, if you kids don't shut up, I'll-". Hanzo's eyes narrowed in confusion as he took in the scene. "What is-", he was interrupted by a distant blood-curling scream of pain. "For the last time, Raiden is here, and Evie needs help. Got it?" Bi-Han snapped his fingers, teleporting all four of them to the previous area. 

* * *

 

Evie struggled to dodge Raiden's projectile balls of lightning that somehow were able to ricochet off walls. The raining that had started was steadily pouring down, and the area was flooded. The water rose to her ankles, and it made dodging the lightning very difficult. She screamed in pain as one connected with her arm, burning it. She looked up and glared in vain as Raiden approached her. He grinned manically. "If only I could end you here right now. Unfortunately, I've promised your father your life for his help. You have forced my hand, Evie. I will not tolerate those who step out of line."

Suddenly, Raiden grunted in pain as he felt something pierce his back. He looked down to see a kunai buried in his gut. "GET OVER HERE!" He was yanked away from the Titan and landed in the middle of the courtyard, kunai dislodged from his stomach. Raiden turned around and glared at the four other ninjas, standing with their weapons drawn. Realizing that the situation was futile in attempting to bring back and punish Noob Saibot, the god teleported away. As soon as he had, the rain disappeared, and the moon shone again in the midnight sky. Evie stumbled towards the group, clutching her arm. "Took you long enough," she grumbled. Bi-Han shoved her slightly. "You should be glad that we decided to came back at all." Evie snorted, turning to the two that Kuai and Bi-Han had brought. "And in that time, you only grabbed two people. Congrats." Kuai sighed. "Everyone was asleep," he muttered.

"What happened? Why did Raiden come here? And why is HE here?" Tomas pointed his finger at Bi-Han, who raised an eyebrow sarcastically. "Bi-Han came here because of something that Evie told him. We fought a little bit and convinced him to stay and fight for us. Evie was able to restore his human form, and now he is free from the Netherrealm. However, because this was done in haste, he has not retained his cryomancer powers but is human and has his shadow wraith abilities," Kuai explained. "Yeah, sounds about right," Evie grunted as she flexed her now fully healed arm, stretching it out. She held up a finger in front of Hanzo's face. "Don't. Just don't say anything. I've already got a headache dealing with you and Kuai; I do not need you to instigate another migraine for me with your 'beef' against Bi-Han." Bi-Han laughed mockingly. "Taking orders from her, Scorpion? I never thought you could stoop so low." 

"Hey! Shut up. What did you say earlier about letting everything go? And for your information, he's my half-brother, so I can chastise him all I want," Evie snapped. Bi-Han's eyes widened with realization. "Wait, what? How though? I mean, you're really hot, and he's just... eh." Tomas smirked at these words, trying to not laugh as Hanzo glared at him. As they all departed together to the base, Bi-Han pulled Kuai to the side. "So, if you do marry this chick, does that mean that I'll be related to that guy?" Kuai shuddered. Just thinking about it was frightening. "I try to not think about it," he answered truthfully.

* * *

"So, how do you keep getting people to help us?" Jax asked Evie the next morning. The five had explained everything from the top and were now in the conference room having already eaten breakfast. She smirked at his earlier question. "Just my charm, I guess. It's enough to sway people to the other side." Sonya snorted at the comment, keeping her eye on the more human-looking Bi-Han sitting in an added seat at the table. Sooner or later, at this rate, they would need to get a bigger table. "How do we know he can be trusted?" she asked. Evie clapped her hands. "Simple! If I even catch the slightest notion that he might betray us in his thoughts, I'll kill him before he gets the chance. After all, I've been monitoring you guys as well (you've all got some pretty fucked up thoughts, BTW). What's one more guy?" 

Jin raised one of his eyebrows. "Say what?"

"Besides!" Evie interrupted, "We've only got about ten days before the tournament. So, let's all be nice little children and share, or whatever it is that preschoolers are taught, alright? I want to emphasize that if I catch wind of any two or more people fighting each other for reasons other than training..." Evie stood up and slammed her hand on the table for emphasis. "You'll find that the consequences are very, horrendous, to state it simply. Understood?"

At the anxious and frantic nodding, she smiled. "Great! Meet me in the training room. Dodging practice today. Let's see how nimble you guys are."

* * *

 

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!!!"

Stryker attempted to bat at a bouncing red orb that had been aimed straight at him, but to no avail. It came into contact with his body, erupting and dousing him with red paint. "There's the first one!" Evie crowed. She continued to launch different coloured orbs at the scrambling people below. They became increasingly smaller as the kombatants started to adjust to the tempo, keeping them on their toes. "You know, I'm starting to believe your earlier statement that this was a mistake," Bi-Han said breathlessly as he jumped up and spun horizontally in the air, avoiding a blue and yellow orb that passed above and below him. Kuai sidestepped and immediately ducked under a green and orange orb, standing up straight again. "You've finally realized that?" 

Bi-Han cast a side-look at Hanzo, equally concentrated in dodging the orbs, leaping over one and rolling to the side to avoid a purple one. "I can see why you're so afraid of your sister," Bi-Han snorted. Hanzo spared a glare at his rival. "We're half-siblings." Bi-Han didn't reply as he was dodging another orb but turned to Hanzo again. "Ten bucks says I beat you," he said. Hanzo perked an eyebrow up. "We are betting money on this? Very well. Fifteen bucks says I win." Kuai retorted, "Shut up. I'm going to beat both of your old asses." Bi-Han and Hanzo both flared up. "What do you mean, OLD?!"

At that moment, however, Tomas chose to run towards Kuai, screaming at an unnaturally high pitch. "KUAI! BI-HAN! HELP ME!" 

"TOMAS! GET AWAY-!"

It was too late. Tomas running towards the other Lin Kuei suddenly slipped on a puddle of paint on the ground, and he collided with the three others. They were instantly pelted by hot pink orbs that had collected in their area. Kuai, Bi-Han, and Hanzo were all standing there in shock and slowly turned their heads to face a breathless Smoke. He was grinning ruefully, but when he looked up to see his friends, his face was drained of colour. "Kuai? Hanzo? Uh, Bi-Han? There's... no hard feelings, right? Come on, it was an accident!" he stuttered.

"I'll break his legs if you break his face," Kuai growled. "Just as long as I get his arms," Bi-Han said, walking toward the cowering Smoke. "Fine by me," snarled Hanzo cracking his knuckles, all three standing menacingly above a close-to-tears Tomas. 

* * *

"You deserved that, you know," Evie stated, patching up a severely bruised Tomas at the end of the training session. He groaned in pain. "I know."


	15. Tournament: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know, I'm really creative with titles.
> 
> Sue me.

"Are you alright?" Kuai looked worriedly at his brother, who was staring at the approaching boat that would transport the kombatants to the tournament. "Yeah, just. Never thought that I'd see that boat again," he muttered. Kuai gripped his hand for comfort as they boarded the ship. "No one's going to die. Evie's already demonstrated that she can revive us from the brink of death. Remember her tips for staying alive, and we'll be fine."

Sonya sighed as she watched the shrinking land mass disappearing as they departed. Johnny and Cassie joined her side, staring at what she was looking at. "We'll be back before you know it," Johnny said, grasping his ex's hand. "Don't you worry." Sonya nodded and turned to look at Johnny. "If we make it back together, will you marry me?" Johnny was caught off guard at the sudden statement but looked at Sonya trying to hold back tears. He nodded vigorously. "Of course. Again and always." He pulled Sonya into an embrace, and the family stood there in comfort.

Meanwhile, in the cabins, the other Special Forces members sat together. "In case I never get to say anything again, I just wanted to say that it was an honour to fight alongside you all. I couldn't ask for better comrades," Kenshi spoke, Takeda clutching his father's hand. Kabal nodded, not saying anything. "I think that's what we all were thinking," Jax said. He had Jacqui's head in his lap, resting his hand on her back for comfort. Stryker shook his head. "Kids' first tournament. It's messed up, how young they are."

The former revenants stood on the deck, looking out to the great expanse of the ocean. "I wonder if I'll ever be able to see a sight this beautiful again," Kung Lao stated. His words were tight and clipped. Liu Kang with Kitana holding his hand gripped Kung Lao's hand. "So we'll fight to see another sight like this again," he said. 

The Outworlders, on the other hand, were in a separate part of the ship. "I wonder what Outworld looks like now," Kotal Kahn mused. "SSSSurely it has been gloomy without your presssence, Kotal," Reptile said. Torr grunted in agreement, having fully recovered from his injuries with a happy Ferra beside him. Erron wiped off spit from his hat. "Watch where you're spraying your shit, snake!"

Evie, sitting in the bird's nest, squinted in the distance. It looked familiar, but it couldn't be! She gasped in realization. "Everyone, get on deck!" At her command, everyone stumbled to the centre. She pointed to the approaching land mass. "That's the island." There were shocked mutters and whispering as the kombatants looked at the quickly approaching island. "How was the trip so fast?" Smoke asked. 

Suddenly, Raiden appeared at the helm of the ship, a figure clothed in black with a scythe behind him. The thunder god had a sadistic grin on his face. "I've enchanted the boat so that the trip would be quick. We can't wait any longer. Our friends are, quite eager, to see you." Evie jumped to the ground, scowling. "Abaddon," she spat. The black figure looked up. His face was horribly disfigured with scars covering his face. He was bald and had a metal arm and leg. He smiled horrendously, revealing a mismatched grin with several missing teeth. "Hello, my lovely daughter."

* * *

Evie stormed off the boat, bag slung over her shoulder as she headed to the respected resting areas to unpack. Kuai was quick to follow her and was soon walking beside her. "That was your dad? Why does he want to kill you?" 

"Do you still have that letter?"  
  
He frowned in confusion. "Yes, but-" Evie stopped walking, turning around to face him. "Remember what I said. Open it at the right time. Not sooner or later. Understand?" She continued to walk away, leaving Kuai alone in the pathway. He shook his head. "I just don't understand," he muttered. 

* * *

The kombatants had been summoned to the first fight of the tournament. Everyone had shown up, including multiple bystanders watching from bleachers. The arena resembled a gladiatorial pit that would have existed in ancient Roman times, Kotal Kahn sitting on the throne. "Earthrealmers. Outworlders. Edenians. People who have come from far and wide to participate in the tournament... welcome to the Mortal Kombat tournament!" This was received by multiple cheers from the audience. "Our first match will be... Stryker against Kano!" Evie looked up in surprise.  _Sonya..._ She looked at her friend who stared at the arena, lips in a thin line.

The two made their way to the middle of the arena, getting into their fighting stances. Kano rolled into a ball, trying to catch Stryker off guard, but he blocked the blow and threw the merc away from him. He drew his baton and landed several blows on his opponent with the weapon along with his tasers, but then, Kano had activated a device that caused a high-pitched noise to sound. Stryker shut his ears in agony, and Kano slashed at him with his knives, finally incapacitating the cop. "THAT'S CHEATING!" an unimpressed Sonya shouted, along with others' voices of disproval. However, Raiden disregarded them. "Finish him!"

Kano cut open Stryker's stomach, letting his intestines fall to the ground and shot a laser through his head. The screams caused everyone to flinch in sympathy. "Kano wins!" Raiden exclaimed with joy. Evie scowled, teleporting to the middle of the arena where Stryker's dead body lay. She motioned to Hanzo, who she had grabbed with her to guard her. Her hands glowed with a blue mist while her eyes closed. She chanted a verse in the ancient language over and over again, Stryker's body slowly healing itself. When she was done, the cop had been fully healed of injury and opened his eyes. He scrambled to get back on his feet, the crowds in shock. Evie nodded at him, and Hanzo grabbed his hand, teleporting the two away.  

Raiden was furious. "You can't do that!" Evie crossed her arms, glaring at him. "He was defeated. There is no rule that states you can't revive a dead person. He is out of the tournament, but alive. And, he will remain that way. Understood?"

* * *

The matches continued throughout the day. Sonya had finally been able to defeat Kano afterwards, while the other fighters were unknown Red Dragon lackeys that were defeated easily. Trouble arose when Tremor made his appearance, managing to defeat three before losing himself to Kenshi. By the end of the day, Stryker, Erron, Jax, and Nightwolf had been removed from the tournament, all being revived by Evie. Now, they were all sitting around a fire that had been created by Hanzo. "Thank you for everything, Evie," Nightwolf said. "If it weren't for you, we'd all be dead right now." She nodded, not saying anything. 

"How were you able to do that, Evie?" Fujin asked. He had an interrogator's voice. "The gods forbid resurrection of any kind." She snapped at that moment. "It wasn't resurrection. I merely transferred their injuries to my body. I can heal most wounds. Therefore, I was able to heal so quickly that no one noticed." She nudged the woodpile with a stick before tossing it into the flames. "It's a necessary sacrifice to make. No one should have to suffer from this stupid tournament." 

There was a silence as they all listened to the crackling of the flames. Evie got up. "I'm going to take a walk. Don't follow me."

* * *

 

The quiet chirping of the crickets sounded in the night as Evie walked through the forest. She scratched at her forearm where Erron had suffered a torn bloodline that ran through the specific area. That had been a pain to fix. She sighed as she breathed in the fresh air, wind running through her long hair. She had abandoned her armour and instead wore a white silk tunic and jeans. Nevertheless, she had a knife on her body, just in case. After walking a while, she came to a clearing. There was a small pool with a small waterfall that barely made any noise at all. It was surrounded by trees on all sides. Decorating the bank of the pool were white flowers. 

Grinning, she took off her sandals and rolled up her pants to her knees. She sat on the edge, dipping her feet into the water. She sighed in happiness, laying on the ground with her knees bent so that her feet were still submerged under the water. She stared up at the night sky, counting the stars that she could make out. Just as she was getting comfortable, she heard a rustle. She sat up immediately, knife drawn. Hikari, who was laying above her head, had not made a noise and was clearly not asleep. Frowning, Evie scanned her surroundings. As she looked beyond the waterfall, she felt a hand touch her shoulder. Immediately, she grabbed the arm and flipped the person over on the grass, sitting on the person's stomach and holding the knife at their throat.

Kuai held his hands above his head, slightly scared.

Still, Evie held the blade to his neck. "How do I know you aren't that fugly sorcerer, Shang Tsung?" Kuai, still holding his hands in their place, spoke quietly, "You told me to read your letter you gave me at a specific time. You told me that I would know when." Satisfied with that answer, Evie got off of the Lin Kuei, allowing him to sit up. "Sorry about that," she said ruefully. He shook his head. "Don't be. Instincts like that will keep you alive longer. By the way, what does 'fugly' even mean?" Evie stared at him for a while before breaking into laughter. "I like to think of it as 'fucking ugly'. I just mashed it up together." Evie chuckled but realized she was the only one laughing. Kuai was taking in the area for the first time. "I never thought that such beauty could exist on his island."

Evie snorted. "I've seen way better. Trust me. When we get out of here..." she drifted off realizing what she was going to say. "If we get out of here, I'll show you this one place that took my breath away. It's an underwater cave, with air in a corner. The water is crystal clear, and the lights you shine in there reflect on the crystal found in the walls. It's unbelievable. You have to see it for yourself to understand." Kuai nodded. "I'm holding you to that." The two sat there, comforted by each other's presence. Eventually, Kuai had the courage to inch his hand closer to his companion's, interlocking their fingers together. Evie looked down in surprise, but when she looked back up, she smiled at Kuai's embarrassed face staring at the sky. She squeezed it, getting up. "I'm going back to get some sleep. You should, too. I heard you're facing Frost tomorrow." He nodded but didn't get up. "I'll go back a little later," he told her. Evie slipped on her shoes, looking at him. She crouched to his sitting height, planting a quick kiss on his cheek. "Goodnight, Kuai. I'll see you tomorrow."

As she disappeared into the forest, he held a hand over the side of his face where she had pecked him after she left, face redder than a tomato.

* * *

"What the hell is wrong with you? That's the third crate you've almost overturned. Are you on drugs or something?"

"No!" Kuai snapped. He glared at the grey ninja beside him. "I'm just happy, alright?" Tomas raised his brow. "So happy that you're bumping into shit? Come on, admit it. Something happened last night." Kuai didn't look at him and instead trained his eyes on the arena. Takeda was dominating the fight against Jarek, who was struggling to stay on his feet.  _Hanzo managed to train him well_. Kuai grudgingly admitted that the Shirai Ryu could point out effective tricks and tips for a fight. Eventually, Takeda walked away from his opponent, Jarek lying on the ground. However, when Takeda had turned his back on his fallen enemy, the Black Dragon brute pulled out something and threw it at the retreating winner. It stuck to Takeda's back, beeping furiously as he whirled around.

"TAKEDA!"

Too late. The sticky bomb detonated, punching a hole through his chest. Takeda rasped as he fell on his knees. Jacqui was screaming, many of the others with furious looks on their faces. Fujin, Sindel, and Delia, unable to participate in the tournament, cast angry looks towards Raiden who sat next to Kotal Kahn on the seats. "Unfortunately, Takeda was eliminated in the arena. He is eliminated from the tournament," Kotal Kahn ground out through clenched teeth. Kenshi, emitting a rage that was greater than his team, growled menacingly and was about to stand up, but was stopped by Jade. "Cheating is not a rule in the tournament. The only rule is to survive." She looked on with sorrowful eyes. "I wish that there would be consequences, but unfortunately, we can not do anything."

Evie rushed to the middle of the arena, laying Takeda's body on his back and started to chant again. She closed her eyes in concentration, not sensing the assassin in the far away window before it was too late. A gunshot sounded, but Evie never felt the impact. Takeda fully healed, she looked in shock as Hanzo stood in front of her body, having intercepted the bullet for her. He fell to the ground beside his fully healed but unconscious student. Raiden cackled in delight. "Two birds with one stone! How fantastic!" Evie cursed as she motioned to Bi-Han, hoping he would understand. He disappeared, going to deal with the sniper. She frantically repeated the spell for Hanzo.

"You goddamned idiot. Why? I can heal, asshole! I'm not getting eliminated!" He opened his eyes slowly, wound finally closing. "You specifically said that if you were interrupted during your incantation, you would mess up the spell, and that could mean instant death for you and the injured. I had to." She shook her head in annoyance and grabbed the two weak people, teleporting them to the safety of the bleachers. Bi-Han had also returned, cleaning the blood on his knife and signifying his success. 

When his name was called, Kuai got up but was paused by Evie seizing his arm. "When you are done with the fight, keep an eye out for everything. You don't know what could happen." He nodded and Evie released his arm. He jumped down, deafening roaring from the audience sounding. He stared at his former apprentice turned traitor before him. Frost was wearing a very revealing outfit, something similar to what Mileena had worn. "I like your clothes. It really brings out the slutty bitch in you," he growled. In the stands, Tomas was cheering, Bi-Han nodded in approval, and Hanzo had a look of shock on his face (he thought that Kuai was too polite to say that). 

Kuai blocked her first attack, which involved a reckless lunge with her knives. He pushed her back, summoning a Kori blade and slicing downwards. It missed her body but was able to nick her leg. She stumbled, and Kuai took this chance to launch an iceball at her. It connected with her body, and he took this chance to land multiple blows on her. She fell on the floor again and threw her twin knives at her sensei, but he ducked under them ( _Thanks for that dodgeball activity, Evie_ ) and uppercut Frost once he saw how close she had gotten. After receiving a sharp cut from another knife, he broke through her defences and wore her down. 

She finally fell to the ground, unconscious, and the crowds cheered. However, Kuai had not let his guard down yet. He looked around quickly, scanning for other threats to him. He slowly retreated backwards, about to exit the arena when he felt a presence behind him. Thinking instinctively, he rolled away, turning around to see the same darkly clothed man he had seen on the boat yesterday. He created a sword, ready to defend himself. "Abaddon! Leave him alone!" Evie had appeared between the two, putting her back to Kuai and facing her father. Suddenly, Bi-Han appeared behind Kuai and grabbed his struggling brother, teleporting him to safety. Evie, however, was still standing in the arena.

"Go back to whatever hell you came from, demon," she punctuated. Abaddon, however, didn't say anything. Instead, his eyes drifted behind her, and she whirled around to see Frost approaching her with a knife in her hand. Thinking quickly, she grabbed the arm with the knife and threw Frost into her father. They tumbled to the ground, and Evie took her chance to teleport away. Her father scowled and threw Frost off of him, glaring at his daughter in the stands. She threw him the stink eye and flipped him the bird. 

* * *

 

By the end of the day, they had lost more people in fights against D'Vorah and a somehow resurrected Quan Chi. Takeda, Hanzo, Kabal, Kung Jin, and Jacqui had been eliminated. "We're losing too many people too fast," Evie muttered. Johnny had finally finished off D'Vorah after Kabal had failed (due to his lack of knowledge in the matchup) and Reptile had barely managed to defeat Quan Chi after Jin and Jacqui had lost. This left Liu Kang, Kitana, Kung Lao, Smoke, Sub-Zero, Noob Saibot (he refused to change his alias), Johnny, Sonya, Cassie, Kenshi, Reptile, Ferra and Torr, and Taven in the tournament. "I just don't understand. How did he come back?" Taven shook his head. "It was most likely Ermac. Raiden probably forced him to release Quan Chi. Who knows who else he has released."

Evie nudged the fire halfheartedly. "Shang Tsung obviously. I saw him before in the halls. And if he's here, you can definitely count that Shao Kahn will make an appearance as well. Maybe Mileena as well. I don't know." There was a gloomy atmosphere as the kombatants mulled over her words. Cassie shook her head. "Well, come on! How are we going to beat Raiden with this attitude?" Tomas sat up straighter. "What do you have in mind?" Cassie grinned. "What about a gift exchange? Christmas is coming soon. We'll be given a chance to go back home for rest after tomorrow passes. We can get gifts for our person then."

Because they couldn't come up with anything else, the kombatants wrote their names on slips of paper. Cassie grabbed an abandoned military cadet helmet and shuffled the papers. After everyone had drawn a slip, they all said goodnight, some leaving to the tents and others fell asleep right where they sat in exhaustion. Evie left to her tent but emerged minutes later with a small backpack. She carefully stepped over the sleeping bodies outside and walked into the woods. 

* * *

 

"Come on, Hikari. Shut up or someone will hear us," Evie scowled. She led the direwolf through the forest, eventually coming to the edge of a cliff with a single sakura tree standing on the edge. Evie walked to the tree and sat at its base, pulling out a book from her bag. She fed Hikari pieces of cooked meat as she scanned the book furiously, circling items of importance. Closing the book abruptly, she pulled out herbs and other unknown objects from the bag. She placed the items in a bowl, looking up to the sky. The full moon shone brilliantly, and when the light shone through the trees and illuminated her body, she heated her hands, igniting the objects in the bowl. After a while, she stopped and carefully poured the liquid substance into a small glass vial. She quickly closed it with the cork, stuffing everything back inside the backpack.

She threw more small pieces of beef at Hikari who jumped in the air and spun to catch the treats. Evie laughed slightly at the silly wolf leaping around. She looked down at the bag containing the vial, shuddering slightly. She knew the risks involved with completing such a task, but to save her friends, she'd do it without hesitation. 


	16. Tournament: Part 2

Unfortunately, it was established that Evie was always correct.

The kombatants looked on grimly as Mileena slowly made her way to the arena, making a huge show of her obvious return. Johnny turned behind to see Evie resting her head in her hands. "Do you think that Shao Kahn's also coming back?" Evie thought and then nodded grimly. "Why bring back Mileena of all people? Unless she suddenly became stronger, Raiden wouldn't miss the opportunity to bring back a strong fighter. You can bet that he'll be coming back." They all watched as Cassie made her way to meet the monster, head held high. 

She first shot at Mileena, but the half-Tarkatan disappeared in a pink mist. Looking around frantically, Cassie was unable to dodge the high kick that Mileena landed on her from teleporting above. She fell to the ground but was able to roll away from the swinging sai that would have connected with her stomach. Cassie jumped in the air slightly, shooting rapidly at Mileena, who suffered the impact of all the bullets fired at her. Snarling, the beast-like woman rolled at Cassie, catching her off guard. Cassie landed on her back, getting back up with a flip but was ultimately knocked against the wall despite her efforts.

Mileena slowly made her way to the fallen teenager, Johnny and Sonya watching in fear for their daughter's fate. The half-Tarkatan pulled down her mask, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. She bit down onto Cassie's arm, tearing away a chunk. She then chomped down on her face, muffling her scream as she died. Evie grimaced at Sonya's cry of anguish, Johnny clutching her. It didn't matter if they were going to be resurrected in the end; it was always painful to see a loved one suffer like that. Evie jumped down, casting a wary glance at Mileena who just smiled sickeningly at her. Evie knelt next to Cassie and was about to cite the incantation when she gasped in pain.

A knife completely constructed of ice had been lodged in her neck, thrown from the stands. Choking on her own blood, Evie placed both hands on the hilt of the blade and yanked it out, gurgling from the stream of flowing blood. She applied pressure to her neck, and within seconds, removed her hands to show that the wound had healed. Kuai glared at Frost sitting across the arena, a smug grin on her face. Bi-Han teleported to the arena, looking around for other immediate threats as Evie returned to her work. Once Cassie opened her eyes, she nodded towards Bi-Han, grabbing onto his hand and Cassie's shoulder as they left the arena.

Kitana stood up abruptly. "I'll deal with this bitch," she stated as she jumped down to the arena grounds. There, Mileena somehow was able to elongate her smile wider. "Sister! What a pleasant surprise!" Kitana drew out her fans. "You have never been, nor will be my sister, demon spawn. Today, you will suffer at my hand." Mileena growled and threw her sais at the Edenian princess, but she twirled and reflected the sais back to its owner. Mileena, too late, ducked under them, but one had managed to bury itself in her shoulder. Yowling in pain, she yanked out the weapon, brandishing it threateningly at the other woman.

Kitana, unphased, took a risky manoeuvre and propelled herself into Mileena, slamming her to the ground. When she got up again, Kitana motioned with her hands and forced Mileena upwards in a gust of air, suspending her midair. Kitana jumped up and landed several severe blows to the half-Tarkatan, causing her to bleed significantly. Eventually, Mileena collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Kitana, nodding in satisfaction, went to walk away, but fell to the ground. Concerned, Liu Kang jumped to the arena and rushed to her side, Evie close to his heels. "Kitana? Are you okay?" Liu asked. Evie shoved him gently to the side and examined Kitana, seeing a scratch on her side. "Poison. The sais were poisoned," Evie said, frowning in anger. "There was no poison in Cassie; she wasn't injured by them."

While Evie went back to her usual task, Liu Kang held Kitana's hand, waiting for her to awaken again. When her eyes fluttered open, she looked at Liu Kang. "What happened?" she whispered faintly. "Mileena's sais were covered with poison. She nicked you and you were eliminated because of this," Liu answered, holding her hand tightly. Hanzo, seeing that there was no more danger, was able to take care of Bi-Han's job and teleported the four of them back to safety.

* * *

 The fight moved on to the next person, Daegon. Taven was ready to greet his brother below, but when his name wasn't called, he sat down in his seat furiously. Instead, Ferra and Torr went down to fight him. After the two were given the command to fight, Torr rushed at Daegon, but the man launched a fireball at the beast's feet, causing him to stumble. He landed blows on the creature, Ferra screaming annoyingly on his back. Torr grunted, shoving Daegon away and landing heavy blows on the opponent. However, Daegon was able to resist them, and when he saw the chance, he jumped backwards, and then abruptly shot forward with a fierce punch that connected with Torr's head, knocking him unconscious. After he had disposed of the monster with a fatality, Evie sighed, feeling exhausted, but went down to do her job.

Again, Taven was not called to the fight, and again Daegon defeated Reptile, Sonya, and even got the upper hand over Johnny and eventually Kung Lao. Having enough, Evie teleported to Jade's side. "I know that you're preventing Taven from going. What are you doing, Delia?" she hissed. Delia looked at her friend with luminous and sorrowful blue eyes. "I'm sorry, Evie, but you don't understand. I can't have my sons fight each other." Evie stared at her friend, a deadpan look in her eye. Suddenly, she seized Delia's shoulders and shook her back and forth. "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN BY 'I DON'T UNDERSTAND'? BITCH! I LOST MY DAUGHTER AND HUSBAND!" She turned to Kotal. "Send Taven in. Now." Evie teleported back to her seat and crossed her arms in frustration.

Taven slowly walked to meet his brother in the middle. "Daegon, don't you remember me?" he asked hesitantly. He looked so different than he had remembered...

Daegon smirked. "Taven. I wish I could say that I was happy to see you, but unfortunately, I can't." Taven frowned. "Don't do this, Daegon. Please. Just stop now and come back home with me and mother. Leave all of this behind." Daegon snarled. "Why would I do that? I've been waiting for this moment for years! Every time you beat me in training and caused our father to cast his disapproval on me only fueled my hate towards you. I looked up to you, and you always pushed me down. Now, I only want to see you buried under the ground." And with that, the two brothers were forced to fight.

Taven dodged a fireball that had been sent towards him, launching one of his own in retaliation. Then, he was able to get in and close the distance between the two. The brothers exchanged blows, neither one getting the upper hand. Taven continued to plead with his brother to give up the fight and join him, but again Daegon refused. Finally, Daegon was able to overcome Taven by kicking at his legs. He kept landing blows on him, telling him to "shut up" over and over again. Finally, Taven was knocked unconscious. Daegon walked to his fallen body, drawing his sword. He ignited his blade and stabbed downwards, setting the rest of his body on fire, and Taven was dead.

Evie pursed her lips. She teleported down to Taven's fallen body but was stopped by Daegon. He glared at her. "You will not resurrect him, sorceress." She snorted. " 'Sorceress'? That's a new one. Tell me, Daegon. Don't you recognize your childhood friend?" He frowned, and promptly, his eyes widened. "Evie? You're still alive?" She nodded. "Immortality's a bitch. Can you please step aside so I can help my friend, Daegon?" He had faltered but instantly recovered himself. "I can not let you, Evie. This goes into matters that you do not understand." Evie threw her hands in the air. "What is it with people telling me that I 'couldn't ever understand my horrible experience' with this shitty thing? For the last time Daegon, get out of my way."

He drew his sword. "Then it appears I have no other choice."

Evie sighed. "I am just. So done." She held up her palm in a swift motion and sent Daegon backwards, crushing him against the walls of the enclosed arena. She knelt beside Taven's prone body, Daegon rushing towards her to stop the process, but was grabbed from behind by another person. The crowd cheering loudly, Daegon stood up to see the shadowy ninja that had protected Evie multiple times. He narrowed his eyes. "Your end will be swift and painless if you cooperate," he gritted out. The black-clothed person said nothing but disappeared from view. He then seized Daegon from behind, slamming him on the ground. Winded, Daegon struggled to rise but was forced down and beaten by Saibot. 

He then grabbed a knife and stabbed the thing in the throat, but it immediately became shapeless as Daegon destroyed it. Bi-Han appeared, dealing more blows and forcing Daegon to finally accept defeat. During this, Evie had finally revived Taven who sat up immediately, eyes opened in a rare moment of fear from the man. When Bi-Han had finally defeated Daegon, he snarled, "You should be glad that Taven doesn't want you dead. Otherwise, I'd mount your head on a spike myself." He walked over to Evie and Taven, grabbing ahold of their hands and teleporting away. 

* * *

Raiden snarled viciously. Now, he was forced to send out his "heavy hitters", as you would. He waved a hand, bringing forth Shang Tsung himself. Evie narrowed her eyes, keeping an eye on the man. As of right now, they only had Kenshi, Kuai, Tomas, Bi-Han, Liu Kang, and herself in the fight. She didn't know how many more fighters Raiden had summoned from Ermac's stash of souls. She turned to the blind swordsman. "Kenshi. Would you like to take on Shang Tsung? I know that you've been wanting this for a long time." He looked up in surprise. "It would be my pleasure, Evie." She shook his hand firmly before sending him to the arena.

Shang Tsung immediately morphed into Scorpion, looking like a wraith again. However, Kenshi was not fazed by this and instead sent a projection of him towards the sorcerer. Shang Tsung's eyes opened wide in surprise and he was unable to block the attack. Kenshi willed the projection to slash at his opponent, dealing cuts that caused the sorcerer to already start bleeding furiously. Angered, he took the form of Kintaro, roaring in anger, charging at Kenshi. Unfazed, Kenshi rolled to the side, dodging the massive paws, and with Sento was able to cut off three of his arms before jumping out of the way.

However, Shang Tsung froze Kenshi using Frost's abilities, going in and dealing more damage to Kenshi. However, Kenshi, who was keeping track of Shang Tsung's movements, finally threw a punch that was able to help him gain the upper hand in the fight. The sorcerer fell to the ground, defeated. Kenshi stood up on unsteady feet, wobbling towards the stands before collapsing himself. The two fighters had worn each other out to the point of exhaustion, eliminating the other in a rare moment.

* * *

After the kombatants were removed from the arena and Kenshi had been properly taken care of, Raiden announced the next fighter. There were shocked murmurs from the crowd as the Shokan Goro made his way, lumbering to the middle of the arena. Evie was nervous about the matchup. Looking at their pool of fighters remaining, she motioned towards Noob Saibot. "Bi-Han, you're up." He nodded grimly in response, making his way down to face the Shokan.

Immediately, Goro rushed to his opponent, fists flying in a fast manner, but Bi-Han had vanished, appearing behind him and slamming him to the ground like he had done to Daegon. Then, Bi-Han decided to play it safe, throwing shuriken at the massive body. They were able to find their mark on the big target but did little to phase him. Eventually, realizing that the fight was going nowhere, Noob Saibot sent in a clone, attacking Goro while he attacked viciously from behind. Ultimately, although the Shokan had landed a few damaging blows, he was overwhelmed by Bi-Han's attacks, admitting to defeat in the end. Raiden stood up enraged, eyes crackling with red lightning.

The Outworld Defenders cheered in victory, but Evie watched Raiden's mood change. She called Bi-Han back to the seats, watching his movements. He then snapped his fingers, loud footsteps sounding behind. It was Shao Kahn himself, giant Warhammer in grasp. Evie again pursed her lips. Bi-Han had been worn out. There was no chance that she'd risk sending him back in. Instead, she turned to the others. "If this is going to work, I need Liu to fight Raiden. That means that either Tomas or Kuai needs to go in," she explained. The two Lin Kuei exchanged looks, Tomas stepping forward. "I've got this, Kuai. Believe me. The enenra in me will not let me die."

Kuai, Evie, and Bi-Han watched anxiously as Tomas walked to the pit, adjusting his wristguards. He had a steely look of determination on his face as he stared at the huge man before him. Tomas dissolved, becoming mist before appearing behind the confused former Emperor of Outworld. Fortunately for Smoke, he hadn't seen his fighting style nor powers before. Tomas landed harsh yet precise punched on the larger man, finishing his combo with a grab and shoving Shao Kahn on his back. Getting up, he threw his hammer at Smoke, but the ninja faded and became solid again, appearing right behind his opponent.

Immediately, he blocked the swinging fist that would have hit him and landed more blows, weakening Shao Kahn. In a last-ditch effort to survive, the former Emperor finally caught Tomas's hand, starting to crush it. However, as Tomas closed his eyes, he focused and when he opened them again, they were a chilling red colour. This startled Shao Kahn and gave Tomas the chance to teleport behind and landed a vicious uppercut that knocked him out of the fight. Everyone cheering, Tomas looked to Evie, mentioning to the fallen foe. Evie nodded slowly. It was too dangerous to keep Shao Kahn alive.

Tomas became mist again, entering the fallen Emperor's body. He built up pressure, eventually causing the body to explode. Tomas returned to his seat, receiving praise and pats on the back for his accomplishment, grinning stupidly the entire time. It was fortunate that Raiden finally called it a day.

* * *

Back at their campsite, Evie tended to Tomas's wounds when she heard Reptile approaching. Finishing her work, she walked out to see the Saurian supporting a very weakened Ermac. She rushed to help him. "Thank you, Syzoth. I'll take it from here." She carried Ermac to the tents where a surprised and grateful Kotal Kahn sat. As she tended to Ermac's wounds, she explained, "I had sensed his presence in the palace grounds. Once I had a general location determined, I had Reptile silently retrieve him during the tournament today." She finished, admiring her work. "Don't worry. With rest, he'll be up in no time," she smiled. Kotal Kahn sighed in relief. "I must forgive you once again for helping me and my allies to take back our home." 

Evie smiled kindly at the emperor. "Don't you worry. We've got the numbers against Raiden. We'll have you back home in no time. For now, why don't we go with the others on our break? Surely you have to get something for your Secret Santa person." Tomas struggled to get up. "Hey, wait for me!"

* * *

"What would Kung Jin want?" Sonya frowned.

Evie, shopping with her, scoffed. "I have no fucking clue. Condoms, maybe. He's been eyeing Black for the past few days, you know." Sonya turned to her friend, red-faced. "Evie!" she hissed. Evie shrugged. "What? It's true. You could cut the sexual tension with a knife. It's so bad." Sonya turned to fully face Evie, who was rummaging through the men's clothing. "Well, it's nothing in comparison to what's going on between you and Kuai." Evie stopped, turning to Sonya. "There's nothing between us. We're just good friends." Sonya looked into her eyes. "Don't tell me you believe that." Evie raised her eyebrow in response, and Sonya threw her hands in the air. "You're so oblivious! How can you not see that?" Evie scoffed. "Trust me, a relationship is the last thing I need right now."

She placed the dress shirt she was holding back in its proper place. "This is all junk. I'm going to fucking Gucci or something. Bye, Sonya."  

* * *

 

By the end of the day, Evie was exhausted and tired from going all over the mall trying to find the perfect gift for her person, but she couldn't find anything that truly spoke out to her. Frustrated, she huffed as she sipped her slushie she purchased earlier. This was why she hated shopping. She was thinking about how happy Kitana and Jade must have been doing this when she felt a tugging on her leg. She looked down in annoyance as she saw Hikari pulling on her pants leg. "Get off, you mutt," she said, gently shaking the small puppy away from her. _No._ Hikari didn't let go, however, but firmly grasped on to her pants.

"Come on, Hikari. This isn't funny!" Evie was increasing her attempts to remove the direwolf from her leg when she eventually fell on her ass. She scowled as the happy wolf bounded on her chest and started to furiously lick her face. _Yay! Yay! Playtime!_ Laughing, Evie eventually pushed her off, standing up again. She knew what to get for her person.

* * *

 

Because the next day was a holiday, the tournament was stopped for the time being as the kombatants chatted amiably with each other. They were talking in groups, Special Forces, Outworlders, the former revenants and the gods, and the other remaining Shirai Ryu and Lin Kuei with Evie leaning against a wall. Cassie clapped her hands together. "Alright! Gift exchange is going to go a little differently today. Your only objective is to get the gift to the person by the end of the day. Then, tonight, we will all share who we had as our person. Got it?" Nodding from everybody was seen throughout the room as the room slowly started to empty. 

Throughout the entire day, Evie watched as Sonya handed Kung Jin a hunting knife that he was very grateful for, Johnny got condoms for Takeda (winking at him and Jacqui, which set Jax on a rampage), and Cassie presented Jacqui with a really inappropriate sex toy. It was clearly obvious that father and daughter had worked together. Kotal had given Kenshi an amulet that was said to protect the wearer from evil spirits, while the blind swordsman gave Stryker a bag of grenades (WHAT THE FUCK, GET THAT OUT OF HERE!). Bi-Han had received a katana from Kuai and gave a similar weapon to Hanzo. Bi-Han had considered giving his nemesis a dead snake, but Kuai insisted that it wasn't fair, so he grudgingly handed the weapon to the confused Shirai Ryu Grandmaster (another thing you can kill me with). 

The other gifts had been reasonable enough and pleased everyone, but Tomas had received a dunce cap (hey, wtf?). Eventually, however, he was given his actual gift from a grinning Erron Black. While the others were thanking the people who had given them their gift, Kuai was escorted outside by Evie in casual clothing. He looked at her with a perplexed expression, to which Evie said, "Don't you give me that look. Come on, let's go." The two vanished from the campsite, no one else noticing their disappearance.

* * *

 

When Kuai finally found his feet on solid ground again, he gasped to control his breathing. "Sorry about that. It's always difficult to travel far distances. Are you okay?" He didn't answer but was able to nod in her direction. Smiling, Evie led him through a luscious forest. While the woods back at the island had been dark and enclosed, this forest was open, allowing sunlight to trickle in. Eventually, he started to hear clamouring and other noises getting louder. Evie nodded, acknowledging that she had heard it, and continued, Kuai in tow. Finally, the two came to a clearing, and Kuai was stunned at the view.

It was similar to the waterhole that they had found before in the forest back on Shang Tsung's island, but it was brighter, spacious, and definitely more beautiful. He turned to Evie, who stared at the brush surrounding the area. She brought Hikari forward, the pup bouncing forward and sniffing at the bushes. Eventually, squeaks were heard, and puppies similar to Hikari tumbled out, chasing after their sister. She smiled, turning to Kuai, who was extremely confused. "What is going on?"

"I found this place when I was in a very dark time, and humanity was afraid of what I could do. I stayed here with these guys for company. I brought Hikari back to Earth with me because we had formed a special bond together. I got you as my Secret Santa, and I want you to find out which one speaks loudest for you." She motioned towards the other puppies, playing with Hikari. "They're all direwolves?" Kuai asked. Evie nodded. "I wanted to get you one because direwolves are especially good guard dogs when you form a bond with them." 

"What are you saying about my capabilities? I'm not good enough to defend myself?" Kuai asked, frowning sarcastically. Evie snorted. "No. You're good enough to defend yourself, but knowing that you always have protection nearby lowers the number of attempted attacks. Direwolves can grow to tremendous sizes. Hikari is only ten weeks old in direwolf years, and she can grow to be bigger than a horse. Direwolves can live for centuries. All you have to do is pick one." Evie's silver furred puppy jogged back to her master, Evie grinning. "Hey, Hikari."

Immediately, the other puppies followed their eldest sister, leaping onto Evie and Kuai and licking their faces. Laughing, Evie helped Kuai up as he looked down at the direwolves. There were five other than Hikari. One had russet fur with green eyes, another had brown fur with deep golden eyes. The smallest one had white fur and orange tinged-red eyes, Kuai looking away from those three. He was left facing a spotted brown-and-white pup with luminous yellow eyes and another black one with blue eyes. While Hikari had deep turquoise eyes, this black puppy had paler eyes and a coat that seemed to illuminate everything around it, due to its very dark fur. It was also larger than Hikari and didn't make any noises like its siblings. Kuai maintained eye contact with it before gently shoving the other pups away and picking up the dark-furred direwolf.

Evie's eyes lit up. "Oh! That's Yami! Although considering he's going to you, it would probably be better to call him Heian, now." Kuai set the pup back on the ground gently, the silent shadowy pup sitting down and staring back at Kuai. Slowly, the pup made his way over to Kuai, nuzzling into Kuai's outstretched palm. Immediately, he felt a burning sensation on his hand but forced back the pain. Heian stepped back, shaking his head. Kuai lifted his hand to see the mark on his hand. It took the form of familiar shapes, spelling out "darkness" in Kuai's language. Evie opened her palm, showing the Japanese markings engraved in the starmetal on her hand. She concentrated, willing the starmetal to disappear. Her forearms were now made of flesh, the mark more obvious to Kuai.

"It means 'light'. Hikari is light in Japanese. When a direwolf pairs with a human, it dedicates its life to protect its partner and to follow them everywhere they go."

They sat there, chatting with each other as the sun began to set. The entire time, Evie was reminded of Sonya's earlier words but pushed them back. After all, there was no proof, and Evie didn't have the time for a relationship. 

She only had a few more hours left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hikari - Japanese for "Light"
> 
> Yami - Japanese for "Darkness"
> 
> Heian - Chinese for "Darkness"
> 
> *USING GOOGLE TRANSLATE. EXPECT WRONG RESULTS*


	17. A Daughter's Love

Evie was tense. Her hands were clenched into fists that were held firmly on her sides and was dressed for full combat. She had a very dark and grim look on her face as she looked from the entrance of the arena. She waited for the inevitable call to tell her to come out. Evie stroked Hikari, the direwolf helping to soothe her nervousness. She was about to go out when she was stopped by her friends.

"You look like you're constipated."  
  
"Maybe I am. Why? Is that a problem?" Evie said, punching Johnny lightly. He grinned. "All I'm saying is that you look really uncomfortable. Just, you know, break a leg?" Evie smirked. "You trying to get me killed out there, aren't you? Damn it. I always knew that my rigorous attitude towards training would paint a target on my back." She looked to Sonya. "Well, you going to wish me luck too?" Sonya shook her head. "You won't be needing it. I know it." Evie nodded, but it lacked conviction. Sonya didn't know what would happen. Husband and wife left, leaving the Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu there. 

"I'm only here because Kuai is," Tomas interjected. Evie snorted with laughter. "Sure." There was silence again, and Evie fidgeted uncomfortably. She eventually smiled forcefully and turned to walk out, but turned around remembering something. "Hey, if I don't emerge victorious, just..." she drifted off. "Just, make sure you kill him. My father, I mean. Do it for me, and then you've got Liu against Raiden, alright?" It terrified her, thinking about pitting Hanzo or Kuai against Abaddon, but she knew that there was no other alternative if she died.  _Another reason to do this._

She walked out of the arena, determined look on her face.

* * *

Her father was already standing there, waiting for her. He had abandoned his black cloak and had donned armour similar to Evie's but it was black as well. He wielded a blade similar to Archangel, but where Evie's sword was light and dark, his blade was fully tinted black. He grinned maliciously, not saying anything. Evie drew Archangel, levelling it to Abaddon. The two stood there for a while, immobile and increasing tension. Finally, however, he disappeared and reappeared behind Evie, but she had predicted this and whirled around, blocking the strike that would have cleaved her in half.

"He's trying to kill her outright. Abaddon's not waiting to exhaust her and then eliminate her. He's not following the rules of kombat," Delia hissed. She was worried about her adopted daughter. Fujin looked on, lips forming a thin line.

Having just blocked the downward strike, Evie and Abaddon stood there, neither one seeming to get the upper hand. However, Abaddon was slowly forcing his scythe down, but before he could get the blade to cut Evie's face, she kicked at his leg, making him stumble. She slashed at him, but he disappeared before she could land multiple hits. She scanned the arena frantically, but then he appeared behind her and was about to stick his scythe in her chest. Sensing his presence, she rolled forward and avoiding the strike. She turned around, lobbing a fireball at him. However, he caught it and extinguished it. 

Abaddon himself charged a stream of fire that he unleashed at his daughter. Seeing this, Evie created a barrier of solid ice. She continued to construct the barrier as her father continued to melt it. Eventually, seeing that she was losing the elemental battle, she clenched her fists, causing the ice to explode and turning the entire arena into a snowglobe. His fire burning out, Abaddon threw small knives at Evie's small figure. She held up her hand, causing them to turn again in his direction. He snarled, ducking under them.

The fight was going at such a fast-paced tempo, it was hard to see what was going on as the two exchanged blows. Incorporating the elements into their attacks, tornadoes and blinding lights were clouding the arena. When the area had cleared up, Evie and Abaddon were at opposite corners of the pit, both suffering from major wounds. Evie spat out blood, while her father growled and yanked a very long dart from his arm. "Impressive. But you'll have to do better than that to defeat me." Evie grinned, teeth bloody. "I haven't even started yet." He snorted with contempt. "Foolish and insolent. Just like your petty mother." 

Evie's eyes narrowed. "That's it. You're so dead." Abaddon chuckled, not at all fazed by her threat when she pulled out the vial with the strange blue liquid she had created last night. His eyes widened when he saw it. "That... that's a forbidden substance. You can't..." She raised her eyebrows. "Actually, yes. I can." He narrowed his eyes. "You'd drink the essence of the Ancients to defeat me?" Evie smirked. "You see, the Elder Gods (who are technically more powerful than a Titan together) have been neglecting their duty by establishing equality in the realms. So, by the Holy Accords, passage three section five states that if a person sees that the gods are neglecting their duty, they can break the rules only to help the realms. So really, I'm not getting into trouble." She frowned after realizing what she said. "I hope."

Abaddon suddenly lunged at her, but she vanished, standing far away from him as Evie uncorked the vial and chugged the entire thing. She fell to one knee. Abaddon was hesitant, but seeing his daughter there motionless convinced him to rush at her. Suddenly, her eyes opened again, and he was forced back. She stood up straighter, making her way to him. Abaddon had fallen on the spikes decorating the walls of the arena, and he gasped for air, choking on his blood. "You... can't kill... me." Evie stood closer. "No. But I can put you somewhere you can't return." He laughed, struggling to breathe. His wounds were slowly closing. "Where? Tartarus? I escaped there."

"No. Limbo."

He at first had not registered what Evie said, but his eyes widened with fear. Limbo was a place where powerful beings were "locked up" for their misdeeds. They lost all memories and there was only a way in. No way out. He struggled to push himself off the spikes, but Evie had already raised her hands. The arena was enveloped in a white light as she chanted words that carried threats, despite no one being able to understand. However, it was clear that Abaddon understood perfectly. "STOP! NO!!!" His screaming and the smell of burnt flesh sickened nearly everyone in the stands as the light slowly faded. Evie stood there, looking at where her father had once been. His body was gone and had been replaced by a circular marking on the ground written in the ancient language. 

She turned around, blue light evaporating from her body. "She used the essence to destroy her father," Fujin said with realization. "She wasn't intending to draw more power to keep for herself. It was only to aid her in the purification." The blue light had disappeared, and she fell unconscious to the ground.

* * *

The past few events had happened so quickly and shocked everyone, so the tournament had been cancelled. Right now, the kombatants were outside the infirmary on the island, waiting to see why Evie hadn't woken in the past few hours. Eventually, the doctor came out, shaking his head. Sonya felt her throat constrict. "She's not dead, is she?" Everyone looked to the doctor who removed his glasses. "She's not dead. However, she's close to being dead." 

"What the fuck does that mean?" Hanzo snarled. "She's in a coma. The others, myself included, can not determine a possible revival approximation. We just don't know the factors affecting the coma. She's in perfect health and everything, but she just won't wake up." He wrung his hands in distress, bidding his goodbyes. "Very touching," said a raspy voice behind them.

The kombatants whirled around to see Shang Tsung there. Immediately, weapons were drawn in defence. He chuckled. "Want to know the real reason why she won't wake up?" he asked. "No one wants to hear your lies, sorcerer," Bi-Han snarked. He shrugged. "Well, because I'm in a generous mood and think that this is too interesting to let go, I'll tell you anyways. When she goes through strenuous tasks, your friend here experiences the energy withdrawal afterwards, as if she had actually done the task herself. That is what is currently happening to her. However, in the past, those tasks were relatively relaxing. What she did would take two gods to complete, and even then, both would be exhausted. She is trying to recover from the energy deficit, but it is very likely that she will die before she regenerates the energy needed for her to survive. So, if I were you, I'd bid her my goodbyes."

He turned around and left.

"The sorcerer may be correct," Ermac finally said. "What he said about the gods being exhausted after the process is true. We have also seen a lack of energy in her." Tomas looked around him, seeing all the downcast looks. "But, we can do something to help, right? Come on, there has to be something!" Fujin looked up. "The Jinsei might be able to give her the boost she needs. After that, she will surely be able to regenerate the rest of the energy. Unfortunately, Raiden is currently in possession of the Sky Temple itself. We need to get her there immediately before it is too late." Hanzo stepped forwards. "I can bring her there. When we get there, I can get rid of the guards and bring her to the chamber." Fujin shook his head. "You can't go by yourself. Carrying her there all the way will exhaust you. You will need someone else to go with you so that you can take turns carrying her. It will also make breaking into the temple easier."

There were exchanged looks. In the end, it was determined that Hanzo would be accompanied by Johnny and Taven. Both Delia and Fujin were satisfied with the arrangements. The kombatants bid them farewell as the three set off, Hanzo carrying Evie bridal-style, her head lolling unconsciously. Kuai was concerned, and couldn't relax. The entire day, he spent his time in the training room, venting out his frustration on the dummies. Tomas, led by Bi-Han, came in later that evening, seeing his friend in distress.

As they stepped in, however, Tomas yelped as a dog jumped into his path, Kuai turning around to see his fellow Lin Kuei looking at Heian. "Heian! To me!" The silent snarling direwolf emitting no sound did not go back to Kuai, but instead crept over to a sad Hikari in the corner. The usually energetic puppy had her head on her paws, tail motionless and blue eyes full of sorrow. Heian circled around before laying down next to his sister, nosing her gently. Bi-Han looked at Kuai. "Who is that?" Kuai looked to the midnight-furred puppy. "A gift," he said shortly. He went back to the dummy he was attacking, punching the stupid thing in anger. Tomas followed his friend, standing beside him as he watched. "She'll be alright," he assured. Kuai paused, looking at Smoke. "I was scared, Tomas. When I couldn't see shit, I was so worried."

"I know." Tomas placed his hand on Kuai's shoulder. Bi-Han walked over to the puppies. "It was nice of Evie to do that. At least you have something to remember her by if she doesn't return," he said. Kuai nodded. The phrase, "something to remember her by" rang in his ears. "Tomas, Bi-Han, is it alright if you leave me for a minute?" As soon as the two left, Kuai pulled out the letter he had been given by the Titan. _"I want you to open this at a specific time. You'll know when the time comes. Then, you're free to tell anyone else. Okay?"_

With shaking hands, he opened the envelope and pulled out the sheet. Surely this was what she had meant by the "right time", right? He read the letter, seeing her mother's words written to her daughter, and Kuai could envision a young and sobbing Evie as she read the letter. So, this was why she didn't want anyone else to see it. But why had she given it to him specifically? It didn't make any sense. He examined the envelope, and then turned the letter around, seeing the relatively new script on the back.

_Dear Kuai,_

_If you are reading this message, it will have been most likely because I have completed my mission, and am at Death's door. But do not worry about me. In the tournament, you already know that  I paired up Liu Kang to face Raiden first. He will not succeed. His hatred towards the thunder god will thoroughly blind him, and he will lose. Raiden will not kill him because of the burdening guilt on his shoulders. If anyone else enters the arena, they will die._

_You probably already have figured this out for yourself. Kuai, you are the one who needs to finish Raiden. When you are done reading this letter, you will be presented with an ancient relic that has been passed down for generations to those of cryomancer blood only. Even then, the medallion will only aid those with pure intentions. This trinket, a medallion, is infused with power and will ensure your victory against Raiden._

_I know that you are worried about me. You are too caring and pure for this world, Kuai. But know that whatever happens to me, you must do this for Earthrealm and Outworld's sake. The only thing that matters now is the tournament. Carry your friends to the end, and ensure that there doesn't need to be another tournament like this._

_It's funny, in a way. When I first saw you, I thought that you were just another cold and unforgiving assassin. However, as we conversed more, I was stunned by the similarities between you and my late husband. But, I may be too late to confess that to you in person._

_I hope that you and the others will continue to live your lives in peace. However, if you find that you are struggling and fall into Death's cold embrace early in your life, I will be waiting for you with open arms, if I do not make it in time._

_With love,_

_Evangelina Seraphina Emerilla_

_P.S., can you please tell Hanzo that Hikari is his if I do not make it? I do not want her to be miserable for the rest of her life._

_P.P.S., Kuai, show this last section to Fujin. This portion is an incantation that I found that can expel the dark essence from Raiden's body and at the same time banish this dark power to the Netherrealm._

Below this message was writing in the ancient language, but Kuai didn't examine this. He was staring at her words, trying to blink back tears. After he had calmed down, he called the two direwolves over to him and they followed him out of the training area.

* * *

"Evie, god." Delia shook her head, wiping her eyes. She laughed humorlessly, crying slightly. "She knew. She knew what would happen, and she still did this anyway." Fujin nodded. "Do not tell Liu Kang of this letter. He will undoubtedly be infuriated." Kuai nodded, not saying anything. Fujin examined the script meant for him at the bottom of the message. "Of course! This is a very easy spell that should be able to do the job. How could I forget about it?" he exclaimed. Delia chuckled. "Evie was always bright. She has something for every occasion."

Kuai left as the two deities conversed with each other, stepping outside. He looked up to the night sky, seeing the bright blue star that Evie had identified as her personal favourite. That had been on the night when Kuai found her at the waterhole. They had taken turns identifying the constellations, correcting each other when necessary. "Don't give up, Evie. Wherever you are, just hold on for a little longer," he whispered.

Far away from the island, three men were walking through snowy terrain while the man in sunglasses carried a woman. Suddenly, her hand twitched on its own accord, but no one had noticed.


	18. Last Stand

Raiden crackled with lightning as he displaced onto the arena, red eyes gleaming to the kombatants in anger and contempt. Unfazed, Liu Kang slowly made his way to the middle of the fighting pit, hands igniting on fire. He got into a defensive pose and narrowed his eyes at the thunder god. The two stood in their places until Liu Kang made the first move. 

He launched a low fireball that Raiden dodged, throwing a ball of lightning in return. Liu Kang moved slightly to the side, running directly at Raiden. He landed quick and rapid body shots and then focused on landing blows on Raiden's head. The thunder god was injured, but not yet out of the fight. When Liu Kang faltered in his rage, Raiden struck, aiming low at his legs. This caused Earthrealm's former champion to fall on his back, and Raiden was on him instantly, landing devastating blows that made everyone flinch, Kitana gripping her fans tightly. Liu Kang was able to push off Raiden but was now very weak. The prospect of suffering from the blows only infuriated him further, and Liu Kang was unable to block Raiden's attacks after he teleported behind his pupil.

After landing more calculated blows, Raiden stood triumphant over Liu Kang. He looked up defiantly at Raiden, sneering. "Do it then, kill me. Just like you did to make me become one of those monsters. A slave robbed of my will." Raiden, who had his hands poised to electrocute Liu Kang, stopped. He frowned, remembering the events that had happened during Liu Kang's death. "No. Seek your death elsewhere. I will not grant you what you wish." A struggling and furious Liu Kang was escorted by his friends before Raiden changed his mind. He was pissed. 

"You let your anger get the best of you," Cassie said, frowning in concern nevertheless. Liu Kang didn't say anything and looked into the distance, trying to cool his temper. "Now what?" Kabal asked. "Who do we send in?" Fujin sighed. "Sub-Zero, get ready. You're going to finish this." Kuai nodded, already prepared. He ignored the confused and questioning looks from the others and went to face Raiden, leaving Fujin and Delia to explain everything as well as the letter, now that Liu Kang had lost.

Once he was alone, Kuai pulled out the medallion that Evie had given him, a dragon carved into the metal. He clenched it, wondering how it was supposed to help him when he heard a whisper. _"You aren't serious."_ He whirled around, not seeing anyone. "Who's there?" he asked, guard up. The person chuckled. _"Don't recognize me, Kuai?"_ Evie appeared in front of him. However, this wasn't really her. She was transparent and levitated a few inches in the air. _"Here, let me demonstrate,"_ she said, plucking the medallion from his hand. She pinned it to his outfit, nodding in satisfaction when it glowed. Kuai gasped suddenly as he felt a rush of energy overcome him, and looked down at his hands. _"The medallion enhances your powers, Kuai. You do not need to do anything different. Just believe and have faith that it will work,"_ she said, holding his hand.

His eyes started to fill with tears, and he cursed himself for being weak.  _"Sorrow is not a weakness, Kuai,"_ Evie chided,  _"It is merely another emotion that fuels our strength to fight for survival."_ He looked into her eyes. "Will you make it?" he asked. Evie cocked her head.  _"I do not know. As of right now, my energy is still waning. I have sensed the Jinsei approaching closer. But I can not say for sure the outcome of this._ _"_ She hugged him.  _"Just make sure you win. For all of us."_ Kuai hugged her back as she started to fade away. "I will, Evie. I promise," he whispered. 

* * *

Kuai walked out determined, not looking directly at the thunder god. He walked to the centre of the amphitheatre, thinking of Evie's words.  _"Just believe and have faith that it will work."_ He got into a fighting stance, pushing all thoughts from his mind, Raiden doing the same. Kuai launched an iceball at Raiden, the thunder god anticipating this. However, he failed to get out of the way in time, resulting in him getting frozen, astonished at the sudden increase in power. "Something has changed," he thought to himself. Kuai slid on ice to Raiden, landing punches and blows that caused Raiden to stumble back. 

In the time that it had taken the god to fall back, Kuai had already summoned his Kori blade in that time, surprising Raiden again. Kuai swung at the thunder god, some blows connecting and others whiffing. Raiden held his hands out, shocking Kuai, but he jumped back quickly, forming an ice clone and catching Raiden. "He's faster than usual!" Raiden realized. Kuai landed another combo and finishing it off by forming an ice dagger and stabbing Raiden repeatedly before creating an ice hammer and slamming it onto Raiden's head. Stunned, the thunder god reeled back, attempting to hit the Lin Kuei Grandmaster.

He was finally able to land a powerful combo on Kuai after teleporting behind him, Kuai falling to the ground. However, as he got up, Raiden attempted to teleport behind him, and when he did, he tried to land a blow, only to find himself frozen again. Kuai had instantly created an ice clone behind him, anticipating the attack. Now, he was free to land more harsh blows before Raiden finally collapsed to the ground in exhaustion and pain. Kuai stepped forward, shooting a beam of ice at Raiden's arms and legs, pinning him to the ground. Fujin and Delia stepped from the barracks, Fujin having memorized the incantation that Evie had written for them. He held his hand to the struggling thunder god, Delia aiding him by providing him with the necessary energy.

Raiden struggled, cursed and spat, but he was unable to stop the god of wind as Fujin was able to slowly draw out the blood-red energy that had corrupted Raiden. With the sudden depletion of the negative energy, Raiden's head fell back, hitting the ground unconscious. Finally, by uttering the final words of the spell, Fujin was able to make the energy return to its rightful place in the Netherrealm. All was silent as Kuai helped to break the ice from Raiden's body, Fujin carrying him away from the arena. Kuai also followed, but he wasn't going to see Raiden's fate. Instead, he went to get his communication device.

* * *

"Come on, pick up," Kuai said, slightly shaking the device as if that would convince Johnny to pick it up. When Taven and Johnny appeared in the hologram, Kuai almost sighed in relief. The actor himself was not looking at the device but seemed to be fighting off Red and Black Dragon goons. "Hey, Sub. What's up?" Kuai scanned the area shown by the device. "Where's Evie?" he asked in concern. Johnny punched a man with an eye-patch away, grinning to himself. "Hanzo's got her. She started to convulse in her dreams, and he teleported to the Jinsei. He kept saying she was stupid for doing something. We haven't heard from him."

"She tried to project herself somewhere. That costs energy. She had regenerated some and became more conscious, but she chose to spend it by appearing before someone," Taven explained. He cut down multiple enemies with one swift strike of his sword. Kuai frowned. Evie had risked her life by coming to him so she could help him. He felt angry at himself. "Hanzo's busy fighting some guys in the Chamber!" Johnny shouted. "He said that he put Evie in the Jinsei before he started to fight. I think from what he heard, she's recovering." Kuai let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. 

"Do you need back-up?" he asked. "I can ask the Outworlders for access to the teleporters. Raiden's defeated, so they'll listen to us," Kuai explained. "That's great! About both the help and Raiden's defeat. Only bring those who are at full strength," Taven yelled, kicking away an enemy that had gotten too close. Kuai acknowledged his statement and turned the device off, seeking Ermac, Bi-Han, Sonya, and Tomas.

* * *

When Bi-Han leapt through the portal after the two direwolves, he immediately cursed out loud as he narrowly avoided a thrown spear, the weapon impaling the wall behind him. Leaping into immediate action, he viciously punched a lackey, knocking the weak man in one punch. Tomas appeared moments later, followed by Sonya and then Kuai and Ermac. The red ninja held his hands in front of him, forcing the nearby enemies to get launched off the nearby cliff. Tomas snickered as they ran into the heat of the battle, fighting their way to the middle where Johnny and Taven fought together. Sonya shot a pink beam, knocking an enemy into another. "Sub-Zero! Go and help Scorpion!" She ducked under an attempted attack, punching the man's gut.

Bi-Han grasped a man's head, driving his knee into his skull. "Sonya's right. Hanzo might need help. Go!" Kuai quickly nodded, running away from the fight and calling both wolves to follow him. He pushed down the doors to the temple, rushing in. He encountered a few stray men, easily picking them off with the newly added strength the medallion provided him with while the enlargened wolves picked off the rest. He eventually found the room glowing with an ethereal blue light, kicking down the doors. 

Inside, Hanzo was at the base of the Jinsei, fighting off those who got too close to Evie, who was unconscious and suspended in the Jinsei itself. Kuai felt another rush of energy, due to the Jinsei's effects as he charged an iceball from behind the oblivious enemies. He shot it forwards, the room exploding in cold. 

When the brilliant light had faded, the entire room was encased in ice, Evie the only one untouched, eyes closed. Kuai ran to Hanzo, helping him break out of the icy prison. "Are you alright?" Kuai asked. Hanzo nodded weakly. "The Jinsei was able to provide me with enough energy to last that long. Unfortunately, it also gave them the additional energy as well." He looked to Kuai in suspicion. "How did you do that? The last time you were able to freeze an area this large was when you were influenced by the Kamidogu," Hanzo said. Kuai sighed. "It's a long story," he answered truthfully. "How is Evie?" he asked.

Hanzo looked up at her suspended body. "That still remains to be seen. Her heart stopped when I placed her in the chamber." Kuai froze, fearing the outcome. Had they been too late? At that moment, the others ran into the room, seeing Kuai and Hanzo looking at Evie. "How is she?" Taven asked. Ermac tilted his head. "She has almost regained her full potential energy, but her heart is not beating." He went over to slowly levitate her from the centre of the Jinsei, lowering her to the ground. Hikari, small again, crept to her master's side and lay her head on Evie's stomach. Evie did not open her eyes but had gained a streak of silver in her long chocolate hair. "What's with that?" Smoke asked, pointing to the small change in hair colour. 

"The heavy strain of losing so much energy in one sitting," Ermac replied. "If she survives, she will live the rest of her life with that reminder." There was a silence as they all knelt by her side, waiting for her to wake up. Ermac frowned. "When we sat in the arena, we felt a rush of unusual energy consume us when she expelled her father. This may have been one of the side-effects of the spell." Sonya frowned at him. "What kind of side-effects?" He frowned. "There have been results of mutations and gaining of powers. However, we believe that it may have been the effect of accidental dispersed immortality to those close to the sorcerer or sorceress. That would explain why she lost so much energy."

There was a silence.

"Well, I'm fine with that."

"WHAT?!"

"Really? I'll live forever!!! This is the best day of my life!"

"Everyone shut up!" Bi-Han snapped. "Her hand twitched." Again, the kombatants focused on Evie, who slowly opened her eyes. "Ugh. What the fuck?" Hikari yipped with happiness as she jumped onto her chest. Evie struggled to sit up but was immediately surrounded by everyone who tried to help. There was loud arguing by Johnny, Sonya, Taven, and Hanzo. Bi-Han and Tomas snickered on the side as Evie's friends duked it out, and while this was all happening, Kuai swooped in from behind and picked her up, carrying her back to the closed portal. "I'm contacting Fujin to tell him to open the portal again. You are all free to join me whenever you feel like it," he said just as he left the room, happy direwolves at his feet.

He looked down to see Evie with a shocked and pink-tinted face. She smirked slightly. "Why thank you, Prince Charming, for swooping me away from that mess," she snickered. Kuai chuckled at her response. "But seriously, thank you for helping me," Evie said turning to face him. "Thing is, I almost died there, and you pulled me out of that shitstorm." Kuai frowned at her. "Speaking of which, you shouldn't have come to me when you were dying like that. That was foolish." Evie stuck out her tongue childishly at the Lin Kuei. "You can't tell me what to do," she grinned. "Now, let me down so I can stand up. I need to move my legs."

"So, I can't tell you what to do, but you can order me around?"

"Of course!"

* * *

_Three months later..._

In the frigid temperatures of the Artika region, the sun was just beginning to set. By this point, everybody in the neighboring villages knew about the Lin Kuei with their fearsome Grandmaster that lived in the mountains. In the clan's walls, where no one from the outside world could eavesdrop on them, sat several people around a formal table, discussing things that were inaudible due to the wind outside. 

Inside the newly constructed Lin Kuei Temple, Evie smirked as she kept a careful eye between the two former wraiths, but it seemed that all animosity had been put aside. The previous mission that the two former rivals were assigned to had apparently mended their relationship. While Kuai and Tomas had at first seemed anxious, Evie was able to convince them in the end. At the table, Hanzo, Bi-Han, Kuai, and Tomas were sitting with Evie as they chatted amiably while they discussed clan issues. Evie had decided to stay at the Lin Kuei for the time being. Most of their friends had helped with the reconstruction of the Lin Kuei. Sonya had promised to keep an eye out for potential future recruits, while Hanzo and Bi-Han were sent to seek out recruits for their "bonding session". 

The combined effort of the kontestants had accelerated the process of building the complex, and Evie smiled at the fond memories of laughing alongside the others as they played around while working. Raiden was still unconscious, last she had heard, with Liu Kang and Kung Lao keeping a careful eye on him. Meanwhile, Kitana with the assistance of Jade had talked with Kotal Kahn about releasing Edenia from his rule, and they had come to an agreement. The princess had successfully reclaimed her homeland (without more bloodshed, to which Evie was thankful). When the temple had been finished, the others had left, leaving the five friends there.

Evie was suddenly removed from her state of daydreaming when Tomas yelped. He had been tackled by Bi-Han, who had been at the blunt end of another one of Tomas's smart remarks. She stifled her snort as the two friends started to playfully fight, Hanzo shaking his head in exasperation while Kuai tried to avoid the tussling coming from directly behind his chair. 

As the two wrestled each other, Evie could distinctly remember all the times she had played with her sisters when she was only a toddler. She could remember her mother, smiling as she watched from her favorite balcony of the palace, occasionally reading a book or sewing. Sometimes, her father (who was not crazed at the time) would accidentally wander into the garden where they played, and he would rarely take the time to play with them. Seeing her friends reminded her of those times, and Evie smiled more at the thought.

If this was what family was, she could definitely get used to this.


	19. Epilogue

A lone hooded figure slowly walked to a pedestal supporting a single book. The library he was in contained many books, but he was only interested in flipping through the pages of the golden book on the stone surface. Behind him, the doors opened to reveal another person. The newcomer was dressed in robes of silk and only carried with him a brown sack. He wore winged sandals, a clear sign that this was a messenger of the gods. He shifted on his feet anxiously. "Are you the Assassin?"

The hooded man didn't answer him. Finally, he said, "Did you know that this book was opened by a child a millennia ago? She was one of four princesses of the Heavens. She broke the Golden Rules by creating life and was banished with her family to one of the planets she had created." The messenger was confused and quickly shook his head. "The gods have summoned you for one purpose, demon. Your reputation has preceded you, and while we do not like associating ourselves with you hellspawn, we both have a common enemy." He firmly placed the bag onto one of the library's tables, gold coins spilling from the opening. 

"There is ten percent of what you are owed. You will receive the rest when you have completed the job." The Assassin turned his head slightly to eye the currency. He looked back to the book. "Do you know why the gods and my master want to see this person dead? No, you wouldn't. You're nothing but a messenger boy. You see, this person I was talking about, is no Angel. Her father was one. But, this king cheated on his heavenly wife with another. When he found of their offspring's existence, he sought to destroy it. But the compassionate Queen of yours raised her as her own. So, you understand then."

The messenger gulped nervously, glancing side-to-side. "You don't mean that the King produced an... Archangel, do you?" 

The Assassin smirked underneath his hood. "An Archangel. The first and only one of its kind. Its very existence could disrupt the fine boundary between light and darkness. Heaven and Hell. If she wanted to, she could come and unite the two kingdoms. That is why we want her dead." He finally turned around, the messenger stepping away slightly. "Do you know why I am telling you this, messenger? I want you to spread the word. Tell your people that I, Surtur, am coming for the Diamond Direwolf's head."


End file.
